Leaving Behind
by L YNAL
Summary: In Naruto's life, many things went wrong. However the one thing that he's sure won't turn into a mess is his will to protect his loved ones. For those that he holds dear, he'd do anything and risk everything. Solely for them he'd live and only for them he'd die. One thing that he's unwilling to face is that eventually he has to leave. He doesn't have too long before that happens.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

 **New story here! And I know. Some of you are thinking, "Are you crazy? You still have an unfinished story waiting for completion and you're starting on another one?!" But this idea wouldn't leave me alone! I had to write this!**

 **Warning! grammars**

 **Pairing: Not sure. Maybe implied ones?**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **Leaving Behind**

 **Prologue**

There was once in Naruto's life when he was just like any child. He was sheltered, loved, and protected. He had someone to lean on. He had a father figure and a _friend_. Naruto had a house and a yard and someone that scolded him whenever he was being a little too mischievous. He had someone that he trusted explicitly for his wellbeing. During that part in his life, he was taught how to read and write. He was taught many things that kids his age shouldn't have been able to learn or grasp. And for that father figure and friend, he would've done anything but all that was asked of him was to be _understanding_.

He only understood what that person meant when it was too late. By that time, that person had already left Naruto. It was too late for that person to see anything. It didn't matter how many times Naruto cried and begged for the man to come back because he never did. All his begging and crying were all just a waste of his strength and energy. It was then that Naruto learned what loneliness was.

When he was alone with no one to fall back on, the world had suddenly become harsh. He was hated and bullied for absolutely no reason and he had no one to run back to. He was sent to an orphanage that held too many children that were uncared for. The matrons there hated not only him, but every single child that resided in that orphanage. Many times, he and the other children had to go without food for weeks. There, he learned what it meant to _truly_ care for something.

In the short amount of time he stayed there, he found himself having to care for the other children. He had to care for the ones that couldn't walk yet, the ones that couldn't talk yet, and the ones that were too young to understand that Naruto wasn't their ' _daddy_ '. They didn't understand that Naruto was only _five_ years old and in no way old enough to be a father.

There Naruto was also happy. It wasn't the ideal life but he had people that he cared about, people that relied on him. He had a _family_. Then that was also taken away from him. The orphanage was burned down by those that had an unexplainable hate of Naruto. All the matrons died and _almost all_ of the children there were gone. Only two had survived. A four month old baby girl and a three year boy. They were the only two that he had managed to save. For years afterwards, he was plagued by nightmares. The faces of those he couldn't save haunted him. Sometimes his dreams would show the children hating him. But those were okay. They had a right to hate him. He couldn't save them and he deserved it.

The ones that really got to him were the dreams of those children smiling at him. In those dreams, the children told him that they didn't blame him, that they loved him. Don't blame yourself, they said. We love you and we'll always watch over you, daddy, they said. Those ones hurt. They made his chest clench in a way that left him gasping for breath, face red, and tears streaming out. He would've given anything to see them again, but he couldn't. They should've blamed him, but they didn't. It always left him in a wallowing mess of sadness and pain. One that threatened to consume his every waking hours.

Once, he almost took his own life. It wasn't worth it to keep living in pain and he so badly wanted to be with the ones that left him. He had grabbed for a broken glass and gotten ready to stab himself when a whimper from the two bundles beside him snapped him from his despair. They weren't aware that he was about to abandon them, but he was. If that whimper hadn't come out when it had, the two children he'd taken such pains to rescue would've been left alone. The things he'd done would've been in vain and they'd have suffered the same fate as him and that's what really stopped him from giving into his suicidal tendencies.

In that cold and bitter filled night, Naruto swore that he'd live for those two children. He'd live for them and he'd die for them because they were the only two precious things left in his life. Without him, the two would've been defenseless and at the mercy of those that had destroyed their homes and killed their brothers and sisters. Call him selfish but he couldn't let that happen. Not on his life and not even after that! He'd protect the two 'till the day he died! He _promised_ that.

When the two children woke up, he had hugged them tightly and apologized to them over and over again. The despair he'd felt so strongly dissipated as the sunrise washed over the three of them in loving, gentle rays. At that moment, he recalled what that person and told him with a sad smile.

" _You don't have to do anything for me, Naru-chan. I_ don't want _you to do anything. I just want you to have a normal childhood. And if you want to do anything for me, just grow up to be a great person. Grow up to be an understanding person."_

" _Why?" He had asked._

" _Because my child, people in this world aren't understanding enough. If we had just one person more in this world that were willing to understand one another, we'd have a world full of peace. War and violence doesn't have to happen." He'd given Naruto a gentle smile full of sadness and worldly burdens._

" _But why do I have to be understanding?"_

" _Because if it's not you, then who else? And besides, I'm not asking you to be understanding, it's your choice."_

" _It is?" Naruto frowned thoughtfully. "If I become understanding, what happens? What does it matter if I'm understanding but the other person is not?"_

 _At that, that person smiled triumphantly. "It'll become your secret weapon!"_

 _The younger Naruto just shook his head in disbelief._

That wasn't the first time that he recalled what his father figure had asked of him but it was the first time that it had hit him so hard. It had finally sank in why he had to be understanding. It hurt when he realized it. Tears came out involuntarily and his chest tightened painfully. It was like a stab to his already broken and bleeding heart. He'd never even had time to heal when he was hurt again over and over. He understood that that if he was anything other than understanding, he'd have just made things worse. He'd be like the villagers who tried to kill him and anyone innocent who were involved.

He didn't want that.

And so the small fairytale that he had lived in shattered completely. The world wasn't as nice as he thought it was. The world was cruel and it ruined and killed innocent and unsuspecting people. It was never nice to the _good_ people. This was something he experienced first hand. During that period in his life in an attempt to follow with what that person had told him, he was tricked and betrayed many times. People laughed at his pain and misery. They even encouraged and fed off of it.

They weren't like that person at all. That person that he could trust.

That man always kept his promises. It didn't matter how difficult the promise was, he would keep it or die trying. It was from that person that Naruto learned to keep his promises, no matter how insignificant it was. And for three short years not counting the two years at the orphanage, he was truly and completely happy.

But all of that was gone in a matter of hours. He was abandoned and left alone.

 _The man had died eight years ago._

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.

.

" _ **Kit! Wake up! The two devils are awake!"**_ The voice that thundered through his head was an annoyed one.

"I'm awake Kurama…" Naruto yawned, unconsciously showing his long canines.

" _ **Brat! They be here in nine seconds."**_ Kurama grumbled with an animalistic growl.

"Okay." Naruto slowly got up. The sun's rays hit his blonde hair beautifully, making him glow in an ethereal way.

"Daddy!" Two distinct voices called out enthusiastically making his cerulean blue eyes widen in surprise. One was male and he sounded closer than the other one who was a female.

He had barely gotten out of bed when he was tackled back on it. Groaning in pain, he used his elbows to push himself up, shaking his head to clear the hair out of his face.

"Haru-kun?" He playfully glared at the young boy in front of him. "Where's Kiyoko-chan?" He asked.

"Behind me." Haru quickly replied before burying his head full of red hair into Naruto's chest.

Rolling his eyes, he sat up and waited for the other _pitter pat_ sound to come closer. He smiled as a familiar shout of ' _daddy'_ reached his ears. Petting Haru's red hair back, he got up and patiently waited for Kiyoko. A few seconds later, she was in front of him, her short baby legs rushing towards him at a speed unusual for a toddler.

"Daddy!" She screamed in frustration, her navy blue hair, almost black hair swished adorably as she came to an abrupt stop.

He smiled at her apologetically before glancing down at a blissful Haru. " _Haru-kun,_ " he whispered, "you might want to move your legs a little higher or she'll bite it." Without a sound, the red haired boy immediately wrapped his legs around the blonde's waist.

"Daddy!" Kiyoko gave Naruto a cute glare.

Naruto chuckled and bent down for a hug. She responded immediately "Who taught you how to glare?" He cooed. "Did you teach her, Haru-kun?"

" _No."_ Was the muffled reply.

"No? Then who did?" The blonde asked as he set both of them on the bed, his cerulean eyes twinkle merrily.

" _Haru_." Kiyoko chirped helpfully. She gave Haru a bubbly smile.

Haru glared at her, his green eyes lit up angrily. "I didn't teach her, daddy. She _copied_ it!" The small boy crossed his arms and _humphed_.

Kiyoko's smile widened. "No."

Haru's head immediately snapped back to her. "What do you mean ' _no'_?" He yelled. "I didn't teach you how to glare! You copied it!"

Naruto gave an amused snort. Here we go again, he thought.

"Teach! Teach!" The amber eyed baby clapped her hands cheerfully.

"I _did not_!"

The blonde rolled his eyes at their behavior.

" _ **I'm telling you,"**_ Kurama snorted in amusement, " _ **that the female kit is just egging him on."**_

Naruto just nodded his head in agreement. "I should stop them, shouldn't I?"

" _ **Not yet. The good part's just starting."**_ The fox murmured distractedly.

Naruto laughed. "Let's make breakfast, everyone." He called clapping his hands. The chatter quickly died down.

" _ **Breakfast?"**_ Came Kurama's eager response. " _ **I'm poofing out!"**_ And before Naruto could respond, a small orange fox poofed out of thin air. " _ **What are you waiting for, brat? Go make some food!"**_ The fox demanded before running towards the kitchen.

With an enthusiastic shout, Haru jumped from the bed and followed Kurama leaving an angry Kiyoko behind.

"Daddy! Help!" Pouting angrily, Kiyoko raised both her hands up, demanding that Naruto pick her up.

With a gentle smile, he grabbed her and ran after the other two.

 _This is the present not the past_ , Naruto reassured himself. _Nothing's going to happen._

* * *

 **A/N: What do you think? Is this something worth continuing? Tell me your feelings and opinions on it. Give me some advice, ok?**

 **Thanks! Love ya!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

 **Chapter one is ready to go! For this chapter, I'd love it if you guys would give me a review. You readers are the ones that give me motivation to write and if I don't have any reviews then how would I know that you guys liked or disliked the story? So please take a moment of your time and tell me what you think. If you guys think this story is trash then say it in a nice way like, "I don't think this story is worth continuing," or something. So yeah, ENJOY!**

 **Warning! grammars**

 **Pairing: Not sure. Maybe implied ones?**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **Leaving Behind**

 **Chapter One**

Naruto quickly sat up in bed. With a strangled gasp, he quickly scanned his surroundings, an eerie glow in his eyes, he quickly gave the room a once over before his cerulean eyes fell onto the three lumps under the covers beside him. One lump was on top of the pillow that his head was resting on earlier. The other two lumps were on either side of him. It took him a moment to realize that no one was in danger. The fire and smoke that had woken him up were just his dreams haunting him. Haru and Kiyoko were beside him and they were _real_.

With a heavy sigh, he grabbed the small lump on his pillow and carefully untangled himself from the two sleeping children and headed for the living room.

" **Kit?"** The small package on his arms stirred from its sleep. " **What's wrong?"**

"Nothing's wrong, Kurama." Naruto gave an unconvincing reply. Clearly something was bothering him and the fox in his arms sensed that immediately.

" **Tell me."**

The blonde gave a small smile as he lowered himself on the couch. "I just wanted some company, that's all."

" **Kit…"** Kurama gave a small growl.

"It's nothing to worry about. I was just wondering how Haru and Kiyoko would be able to manage if I were not around. The academy's starting soon and I'm being moved to a new apartment."

Kurama nodded. He knew that his Kit wasn't being completely honest but he couldn't push the blonde too much. The things that haunted Naruto...they were better being left alone.

" **Are you sure you want to become a shinobi?"** The blonde wasn't fit to be one. He was too gentle and too caring.

"It's not my choice. You know this." The young boy gave a whispered reply.

Entering the academy and becoming a shinobi wasn't his choice. He really didn't want to become someone who killed and tricked others for a living but when an old man he'd never met before approached him and told him he needed to become a shinobi, he had no choice.

He only had two options; live life as a civilian _alone_ or live as a shinobi where he'd be able to keep both Haru and Kiyoko.

" **That was blackmail! I should've ripped that granddaddy-long-legs to shreds!"** Kurama growled loudly. He really would've if he weren't stop by Naruto.

"Enough Kurama! He explained his reasons and besides, we need to focus on how to take care of Haru and Kiyoko. I can't leave them here alone."

" **Why not just take them with you?"** In the fox's opinion, that was the best option so far.

"I would, but it's too dangerous." Naruto gave a morose expression before brightening up. "But...Kurama, _you_ could take care of them!"

The form that Kurama was in gave the blonde an incredulous stare. " **Heck no! Do I look like a babysitter to you?"**

The young boy just smiled. "Come on, Kurama. Don't tell me you're planning on leaving them alone?"

" **If I have to? Yeah!"**

Naruto sighed. "Alright then."

" **W-wait. W-what are you planning?"** The fox studied Naruto closely. Was he missing something? The boy was incredibly smart and very sly.

"I'm not planning anything. If you don't wanna take care of the kids, it's fine." The look on his kit's face said that it was anything but ' _fine_ '. His kit looked absolutely _miserable_!

Naruto's expression certainly pulled at his heartstrings. It made him want to say 'yes' when he really didn't because if he said 'yes', who would take care of Naruto himself?

" **C'mon kit."** Before the fox meet Naruto, he'd never whined or given in to anyone's demands, but with the blonde, he felt like there were no limit to the things he'd be willing to do as long as it made the boy happy. " **I'm sure we could find a babysitter for them...like the owner of** _ **that**_ **brothel? She's nice and the kits know her well. She used to babysit them before, anyway…"**

"But the kids hate her."

" **T-then Kyo! He loves you and the kits love him!"** Kurama pawed at the blonde's face and tried for a cute look.

"Kyo's away on business. He won't be back for months!" The cerulean eyed boy gave the fox a downcasted look. "Why can't it be you?"

The small fox tried looking away, but Naruto was smart enough to hold Kurama's face. " **Fine you stupid, ugly brat! I'll look after them!"**

"Great!" Naruto's face brightened immediately. He got up and started walking for the room while leaving Kurama to fume in anger. "I'll see you tomorrow tou-chan!"

" **This doesn't mean I'm happy about it!"** Kurama shouted.

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.

.

"Haru, Kiyoko, that's your oji-chan." Naruto smiled gently at both the children. "His name's Kyu, okay? From now on, he'll be taking care of you two while I work."

Standing in front of Naruto with a calm disposition that was unlike his inner turmoil was a tall, beautiful man with long red hair that reached his thighs. That beautiful man happened to be Kurama who was supposedly Naruto's father.

"Really?" Haru asked. He looked surprised. "But he looks so young!"

" _Beautiful_!" Kiyoko on the other hand was in complete awe.

"Yes...Well, my father was young when he had me." Naruto lied nervously.

"How come we've never met him before today?" Naruto inwardly cursed. Leave it to Haru to be so curiously sharp.

"W-well h-he...uh he was uh b-busy...a lot?"

Kurama snorted at Naruto's panicked face. Deciding that maybe, it was time to rescue him, he intervened. "Kids, your tou-chan has to leave soon. Won't you let your oji-chan entertain you?" Naruto gave a relieved sigh. "Your oji-chan has been so lonely without your father around, so will you two keep me company?"

Haru gave Kurama an inquiring stare. "Daddy never said he had a tou-chan! Are you lying?"

The fox in disguise felt his face heating up. Wasn't the redhead just recently four years old? "No, Haru-kun. I _really_ am your grandfather."

Naruto chuckled quietly to himself. Despite Kurama's tough appearance, he truly was gentle when it came to children. He would know since without the fox, he'd have already died multiple times already. During the time Naruto had decided to take the two children in, he ran into a lot of difficult situations but it was the fox who had taught him how to raise the kids correctly and what he had needed to do for the kids whenever they had gotten sick. For all intents and purposes, Kurama really could've been the blonde's father if the fox had been human.

"Same! Same!" Haru glared at Kiyoko who had been pointing at Kurama and Naruto while jumping excitedly.

"They do _not_ look the same! What part of them even _resembles_ each other?" The green eyed boy argued childishly.

"Both beautiful!" Kiyoko giggled while pointing at the blonde, her amber eyes flashed playfully.

"Our dad does not look _beautiful_!" Haru yelled at his sister.

Naruto laughed. Despite already being ten minutes late, he didn't have the heart to leave his two children in the middle of their sibling rivalry.

"Then what do I look like?" Naruto was genuinely curious about how Haru perceived him.

"Daddy looks _enchanting_! Like fairy!" The blonde blinked rapidly while Kurama snickered to himself.

" **You heard that brat? You're** _ **enchanting**_ **. Like a** _ **fairy**_ **. How girly!"**

"Keep laughing tou-chan." Naruto mumbled under his breath, knowing that the fox heard it.

"Fairy beautiful!" Kiyoko argued back, glaring fiercely at her brother.

"No they're not! Clearly you need to learn how to read before you try disproving people's careful analysis!" Haru humphed and crossed his arms proudly.

"Read! Read! Idiot!" At this point, the two were already at each other's throats.

" _What'd you call me, you twerp_?!"

Naruto, who had just been enjoying their display choked. "Where'd you _two learn_ that kind of language?" It obviously didn't come from him and it wasn't from Kurama since the two couldn't hear the fox talking when he was in his fox form and this was the first time they actually met Kurama as a person and understood his speech.

" _Kyo-nii!_ " Both children shouted at him, angry and panting. Not at him but at each other.

Sighing, the blonde decided that he really had to leave. He wasn't really angry at them, just a bit scandalized, that's it. And Kyo! He really needed to have a talk with that ' _nii-chan_ '!

"Ok...Well, give me a hug, then cause daddy needs to go."

With solemn expressions, the two children slowly walked towards him as if by dragging out time, he'd stay. "When will you be back, daddy?" Haru asked sadly.

"Back, back!" Kiyoko repeated just as sadly if not more.

It almost broke Naruto's heart. When he'd made that promise to always protect them, leaving them had not been part of the equation. "Tonight, but there will be times when I have to go out of the country, ok? Hopefully it won't be for a few years but I'll always tell you if I won't be able to come back. If not me then your grandpa, ok?"

"Do you really have to leave?" Haru asked, his face still buried in Naruto's chest. "What's wrong with staying here? In this house with us?"

Naruto's chest squeezed painfully. Times like this made him realize just how screwed up the world really was. "Nothing's wrong. Daddy's just gotta live closer to where he'll go to school and work, that's it." The blonde closed his eyes to keep the tears at bay. "You'll still definitely see daddy, though." he gave them a gentle smile before letting them go after one last tight squeeze.

"Birthday come back?" Kiyoko asked, eyes bright with unshed tears.

"I'll come back for all the birthdays. I promise." Naruto nodded while patting her hair.

"Kyo-nii's and Busu-obaa, too?" Haru asked.

Naruto laughed. "Don't let Kimiku hear you calling her that!" Really, he should put an end to it, put they needed their fun. And if he didn't let them call the owner of the brothel horrible names behind her back, then they'd make her life hell. Letting them get away with the name callings were the best and safest options. "But yes, I will make it back for all birthdays."

Kurama, who had just been watching the scene felt a stab to his heart. Just how long was he going to be able to keep watching that bright smiling face of his kit's? How long would it be before he would eventually lose him?

"Kids, let your tou-chan go, please. He's very late already." Kurama pulled the children away from Naruto and went to give the blonde a hug also. Just why did he have to let his kit slip through his fingers?

After a heartfelt hug from Kurama, Naruto gave the redhead and the navy haired girl a kiss on the forehead and left, all the while waving frantically with a bright smile that did not go along with the lonely and empty feeling he felt as he walked further and further away from his most precious people.

When he was far away enough, he stopped and gave the house he'd been living in for a whole year a once over. The house wasn't bad, it was kind of big, actually with a very pretty garden full of vibrant flowers greeting any strangers that may pass. It had a koi pond and a fountain and a relaxing zen garden in front of the porch that held a swing fit for five people. The outward appearance was that of a traditional Japanese house with an engawa but the inside was completely different. It had a genkan but it was actually a two story modern house with spiraling stairs and many rooms with actual doors and not shoji ones.

This was the house he'd bought a year ago working at a red district brothel as a high demand exotic beauty. The only lucky thing he'd gotten away with while working at that brothel house was leaving with his chastity intact.

 _He'd brought the house by selling himself, but nobody needed to know that._

.

.

.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I'm gonna become a Hokage!" Naruto announced, sweating nervously. He had been a bit late to the academy since he wasn't sure what face to put on. The academy was a completely new experience for him. He'd never been in school nor around kids his age. He figured that acting like his true self would not be beneficial. He was too mature and responsible. He didn't fit into the descriptions of kids his age. And really, he didn't actually want to become a Hokage, but it was still something he figured he should strive for.

" _What's he? An idiot?"_

" _Does he think he's cool announcing himself like that?"_

" _Isn't he the boy our parents told us to stay away from?"_

" _As if a dumbass like that could ever become our leader!"_

The whispers he'd gotten due to his announcement killed his self-esteem a little. He knew that things were going to turn out this way, he'd prepared himself but it still wasn't enough. He didn't think he'd get hurt when they'd treat him like he was just some pest, but it did. He hated that he couldn't just not care.

"Riiiight. Kid, take a seat and stop embarrassing yourself, will you?" A familiar man with dark blue hair drawled out.

Naruto's face flamed up immediately. One due to shame and the other due to nervousness. The blonde knew full well that some shinobi went to brothels but for this one specific shinobi to be his sensei?

The man, Tetsuo Kagami, had been a regular customer of his before the blonde had quit. Though the man hadn't been able to make any connections between him now and him before yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto walked to a sit far in the back, making sure that his face wasn't shown. Outwardly, he walked confidently but inwardly, he was a complete mess. He was already hated by the populace, anymore slander to his name and he'd be a complete outcast.

Keeping his head low, perhaps it would be best if he kept out of the way and tried keeping a low profile?

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.

.

The years at the academy all passed in a blur. After the third year, Naruto had decided that perhaps he shouldn't always hope for the best. While his first year at the academy was fun, the others weren't. Not all the teachers were fair like Tetsuo-sensei.

Most teachers that taught at the academy held heavy baggage and they weren't always able to discern present from past. Naruto didn't blame them. He never did, but that didn't stop the pain in his heart from getting worse.

Naruto sighed. It was time for school and he wasn't really looking forward to it.

He sighed once more before he stopped in front of a pond. He gave his reflection a deep frown. His reflection just stared back at him with its horrible fashion sense; bright orange jumpsuit, spiky sun-colored hair and a tacky google sat atop its head.

Is this what I've become, he thought morosely. He hated the clothes that he had to wear since starting at the academy. He could've afforded better, not to mention the fashion sense. He looked like a living target. He was only glad that he didn't have to wear it 24/7.

He missed the days where he could spend the day with his children without a care. The times where he could dress however he wanted. The times he didn't look like a freak but someone that many people actually adored. He used to be the envy of many people, but all of that was covered up.

He wouldn't of minded if it were for his current year at school. The fact that all the people in his class preferred _Sasuke Uchiha_ irked him. To be completely honest, the boy wasn't even all that great. His skills and intelligence may be above average, but so was Naruto's! And if they wanted to compare looks, Naruto was confident that he'd win _that_ by a landslide. The blonde had many admirers, among both genders and among even the young and the old...well, _before_ anyway. Now, he'd gone AWOL but if he didn't, he'd have more attention than the stupid _Sasuke Uchiha_!

Frowning at his train of thought, Naruto immediately cut it off. What was the point of being bitter? It's not like he could change his appearance, yet. The term of condition was to wait till he became a genin.

Naruto frowned even harder and absentmindedly made his way to the academy. The walk had been long since he'd stayed over with Haru and Kiyoko. The blonde shuddered, good thing they didn't know that he had to wear a horrendous orange jumpsuit to school. If they did, well, Naruto didn't want to think about it.

Finally arriving at the academy's entrance, the blonde was about to enter when he was grabbed by the arm.

"What?" The blonde groaned.

"Now, now, Naru-kun, groaning is so unlike you." A teenager with raven hair and red eyes scolded playfully. He wore a matching _haori_ over a simple black _yukata_.

" _Kyo_! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, embarrassed and scandalized.

"I'm not the only one." Kyo replied. Behind the young teenager were two other people. One was a beautiful woman with greenish-gray hair and the other one was a tall man with dark blue hair and light green eyes. The woman was wearing a midnight-colored _furisode_ with cherry blossom designs while the man wore a traditional shinobi garb, a jonin vest and long black pants with a matching shirt. "Kimiku-san and Tetsuo-san is also here."

"Naru-chan, we're here to wish you luck. The others have parents for that and you don't, so screw them." The woman, Kimiku said with a sweet smile. Her eyes spoke differently though.

"I wish you didn't decide to become a shinobi, Naru-san, but I support you anyway." Tetsuo-sensei patted Naruto's hair awkwardly. "Wish you'd drop the horrible fashion sense too. If you did that, I'd have recognized you much faster…"

" _You guys_ …" Naruto whispered. He was touched.

"I'm not done yet." Kyo butted in. "I also want to wish you well. I actually hope you don't pass, but that's ok too. Also, the Uchiha brat? He got nothing on you." The raven gave Naruto a sweet smile. "Another advice, don't get too close to that walking psycho."

" _Kyo!_ " Naruto hissed. He might not like Sasuke but that didn't mean that it was okay to label names on him.

"Okay, okay." Kyo laughed.

"Walk in there and knock 'em dead, Naru-chan." Kimiku whispered encouragingly as she roughly pushed Kyo aside.

After a few heartfelt hugs, Naruto walked into his classroom with a few minutes to spare. Without looking, he just took a random seat. It so happened that the person in front of him was Sasuke Uchiha, a boy with pale skin with dark eyes and black hair that looked like soft feathers.

Like usual, the classroom was a complete mess. Some were sleeping while others were loudly talking to their friends. Some mischievous students were even playfully fighting amongst themselves to wane off a little tension. Naruto did none of these things. He just sat down and quietly focused on keeping the loneliness at bay.

Five minutes later, everything was calm. The teacher, Iruka-sensei, a chuunin with a scar on his nose, was in and ready to give out exams. The man next to him was Mizuki, a young man with gray hair and cruel eyes. He happened to be the assistant teacher.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto braced himself. Despite being told that he'd be promoted to a genin even if he failed his current exam, Naruto was still nervous. He didn't want to rely on connections if he could help it.

Taking deep calming breaths, Naruto's name was up. Nervously, he walked to the back room and performed the three jutsu required to pass.

He managed two and failed the last one.

"FAIL." Iruka-sensei called out.

Mizuki inwardly smirked. "Don't be too hard on the kid Iruka. He did well on the other two." The assistant teacher faked a pitying voice.

"No, failing means that he failed. He won't be given any special treatment." Iruka-sensei said, his voice final. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun."

With a dejected look, Naruto walked out of the room. He went outside and sat on the swings. This time, he'd really tried. The blonde knew the source of his problems, too, but it wasn't like he could do anything about it. He didn't know any clone jutsu that required a lot of chakra…

The blonde wasn't sure how long he sat there, but by the time he became aware of his surroundings, it was already dark. Getting ready to go, Naruto got up, but he was quickly stopped by a sickly sweet voice.

"Naruto-kun." It was Mizuki. "If you're really upset about failing your genin exam, I know another test that'll promote you if you pass."

Naruto blinked. He really didn't trust Mizuki, but was this what the Hokage meant when he said the blonde would be promoted to genin either way?

"Really?" Naruto faked being hopeful.

"Yes. All you have to do is steal a scroll from the Hokage's tower. This exam tests your ninja skills in infiltration, information gathering, and rescuing missions. The Forbidden Scroll is important so it'll be a substitute for a captured person and then sneaking in is your infiltration and finding out where the scroll is and how to get it out is information gathering."

Naruto nodded. It sounded really shady, and he was _not_ going to trust Mizuki, but if the man was even slightly honest about this exam, he was gonna take it. "Okay." He agreed.

"You have to hand it over to me tonight at midnight. I'll give you the locations before you start."

Again, Naruto nodded.

.

.

.

It was the next day and Naruto was a genin. Turns out, Mizuki was a traitor and the Hokage used Naruto as bait. The blonde wasn't really happy about that one but he understood. Naruto was someone useless. If he'd accidentally died, no one would miss him and as a Hokage, the old man had to use any method available at his disposal.

Without looking at any of the seats, the cerulean eyed boy sat closer to the front, behind an incredibly smart but lazy boy, Shikamaru. The blonde couldn't have sat there for more than a few seconds before the two leaders of Sasuke's fangirl group ran into the classroom. It was well known, the rivalry between the two. The girl, Sakura, had bubblegum hair and large green eyes and the other girl, Ino, had platinum blond hair with dull blue eyes. They were beautiful, but their beauty were wasted on a boy that ignored their very existence like they were just mere flies.

"GET UP BAKA!" The girl with bubblegum hair screamed at Naruto.

"FOREHEAD GIRL, THAT SEAT'S MINE!" The other girl cried.

And they argued back and forth long after they'd knock Naruto out of the seat. Naruto hadn't even realized he was sitting beside the Uchiha! Exactly what was so great about the raven boy? The boy didn't talk, he was rude and disrespectful, and he treated others like dirt! Was that the kind of guys girls went for?

Jumping up onto Sasuke's desk, the blonde gave Sasuke a scrutinizing look. He could admit that Sasuke was easy on the eyes, but that was just the surface.

"Hey, what's good about you?" The blonde asked.

Predictably, he didn't receive any kind of answer, just a blank stare. The other boy wasn't even flustered! Rolling his eyes, Naruto got ready to jump off the desk, but that was where everything went wrong. Shikamaru, a lazy boy with pineapple hair in front of Naruto got up and knocked the blonde towards Sasuke in the process.

Bewildered, Naruto found himself kissing the guy he felt a strong aversion towards . Not like kissing kissing or like with tongues of anything, but it was still kissing! Their lips touched each other!

The blonde immediately got up and started wiping his lips, his expression completely blank as the other boy did the same, albit with more expression and vigor. While Naruto wasn't new to kissing, he still found it unpleasant to kiss a guy he had a strong dislike towards. Wiping his lips was almost like an instant reaction.

"YOU BAKA!" Naruto slowly turned towards the voices of Sasuke's top fangirls and shivered.

He braced himself for a beat down. If his kids knew he had to act like this, Naruto was sure he'd die!

"EVERYONE SHUT UP! ROLL CALLS ARE COMING UP AND SO ARE TEAM ASSIGNMENTS!" The blonde heaved a heavy sigh of relief. If it wasn't for Iruka-sensei and his _Big-head jutsu_ , Naruto would've been black and blue! "Okay, listen carefully. When I call out teams, memorize them cause I'm not repeating myself a second time." Iruka-sensei gave everyone a threatening glare.

"Now, Squad Seven; Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto wasn't sure how to react to that specific fact. He figured the other two didn't like him as their teammates either. After all, to them, he was just the dead last. The boy who'll slow them down because of his stupidity and boisterous nature. "...meet your jonin teachers."

Naruto blinked. What happened? He was paying attention the entire time but those last words were the only thing he caught. The blonde took a deep breath and shook the weird occurrence as an attention deficient.

Naruto wasn't sure how long it took, probably more than four hours, but it took a _long_ time before Team Seven's sensei came to get them. The small prank he'd planned beforehand wasn't even enough to compensate for the time he'd lost.

"Team Seven, meet me up on the roof." Their sensei was a strange man with a relaxed demeanor that almost rivaled Kyo's and Tetsuo-sensei's same awkwardness with a touch of Kimiku's sly personality. He had spiky silver hair that defied the very center of gravity and strangest of all, he used his _hitai-ate_ as an eye patch. The blonde concluded that their sensei was very distinctive. "Hurry, please." And the man poofed out of their sight.

Naruto hurried to the designated meeting spot. He wanted to get it over as soon as possible. He had people that eagerly expected his presence.

"Alright, my cute little students, let's do an introduction. Tell me about yourself." He gestured to Sakura first.

"Why don't you do it first, sensei? As an example, I mean." The bubblegum haired girl tried for a sweet, innocent look.

"Ok." The blonde was surprised that their teacher agreed so easily. "I'm Kakashi Hatake, a jonin. I don't have many likes or dislikes. My hobbies are a secret~" Kakashi gave a low chuckle. "And my dreams? I don't wanna tell you. Your turn pinkette."

Sakura fidgeted. She wasn't sure what she should say without sounding like a total stalker. She settled on sounding coy instead. "My name's Sakura Haruno. I like…" She skipped that with a fangirl-ish shriek. "My hobby is…" The girl blushed beet red before shrieking again. "I dream is to…" She _also_ shrieked on that one. "Oh! My dislikes are Ino-pig and Naruto!" She screamed that one out.

Naruto inwardly chuckled. If his kids met her, he wasn't sure if she'd make it out unscathe. They would definitely terrorize her. They hated Kimiku a _long_ time for taking away the blonde's attention from them.

"Blondie covered in orange is next." Kakashi called out.

Naruto was silent for a moment. He took a deep breath and put on a large smile. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki. I love ramen and I hate the three minutes I have to wait for it. My dream is to become the Hokage!" Their sensei choked while Sakura reprimanded him for having a dream, but the blonde just drowned them out. That's not what he really wanted to say. He wanted to say:

" _My name's Naruto Uzumaki. I have two adorable children whose names are Haru and Kiyoko Uzumaki. My likes are seeing them happy and watching them play. My dislikes are seeing them hurt, not being able to protect them, and being separated from them. My hobbies are gardening and cooking. My dream's to watch them grow up safe and uncorrupted."_

But this wasn't something he could share so he settled on lying instead.

Then suddenly, without any warning, his chest tightened painfully and he could only hear a loud buzz in place of voices. Tears threatened to let out but Naruto held them in agonizingly. His vision went dark and his head throbbed as if a sledgehammer had taken a good whack at him. Breathing was becoming difficult. His legs became weak and his lips trembled as sounds threatened to escape. He wanted to crawl home and hide from the world and just let the pain ride out without having to keep silent, but that was impossible. His teammates already thought he was a burden and if they found out that he and random bouts of pain, they'd look down on him even more. Who would want a teammate that was useless? Besides, this was something personal. They weren't ever gonna get close enough to affect him, anyway.

 _And so, like always, nothing showed._

* * *

 **A/N: Waaaahhhhh! What do you guys think? Review and give me an in-depth response. Tell me what you thought. Was it sad, happy, in between, WHAT? And like always, there will be grammars.**

 **Please review! I really really really wanna know what you guys think! REVIEW, okay? :3**

 **I love you my lovely readers~**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

 **Here we go people! Thank you for your lovely support on chapter one! It was great! Uhmm, let's see...right! Shout outs!**

 **To all my readers and ESPECIALLY to my REVIEWERS, you were all my motivation! Without you guys, I'd have absolutely no motivation, cause ya know? Who would want to write a story that no one appreciates? So, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!**

 **ENJOY!**

 **Warning! Grammars, always...**

 **Pairing: Not sure. Maybe implied ones?**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **Leaving Behind**

 **Chapter Two**

When the sun found Naruto, he had already been awake hours before. The young boy was in the kitchen of his apartment, cooking breakfast. He'd already had an _onigiri_ , _miso soup_ , _sashimi_ , and _tamagoyaki_ done and he was moving on to _sushi_.

It wasn't any kind of special occasion, but his kids had wanted some food made by him. Not that Kurama was any slouch in the kitchen. They were probably just missing him.

The thought that his kids missed him, made Naruto smile. It was a warm feeling that made his toes curl with happiness. He hadn't woken up feeling happy. In fact, when he woke up, he felt the opposite of happy. He felt terrible.

Sighing, Naruto waved the thoughts away. He had some packing to do and he didn't have to worry about training since today was the rare day that they had off. He only hoped that he wouldn't run into his teammates or anyone from the academy on his way home.

 _Home_ , he thought with a smile. His apartment given to him by the Sandaime Hokage was considered home, and the place that he brought for himself and his children were considered home. And sometimes he would get confused when someone asked him if he were going home. He wasn't sure if he could consider his apartment as home, but for now, he wouldn't think over it too much.

He was home free with no teammates to annoy him and no teachers to pick on him. It would just be a happy day with Haru, Kiyoko, and Kurama. They'd probably play all day and picnic in their backyard.

The blonde boy was looking forward to it.

Until...someone knocked on his door.

Cautiously, Naruto opened the door. The face that greeted him was unexpected. "Sasuke?" He asked. "What are you doing here?"

The black haired boy gave a grunt, not that Naruto knew what it meant, but he interpret it as a , ' _Let me in_ '. Surprised, Naruto robotically opened the door wider, giving the moody boy access to his apartment. Without a word, the raven came in, looked around, walked towards his dining table, and plopped himself on one of the many chairs that surrounded it.

"I followed the smell." The raven said with his usual stoic look.

"What?" The blonde couldn't stop himself from looking stupid.

Rolling his eyes, the Uchiha repeated himself again. "I followed the smell."

Like that makes any sense, Naruto thought sardonically. "What smell?"

"The smell of food. I followed it and it led me to your door." The raven spoke like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why did you follow the smell?"

It must've exceeded the Uchiha's words of the day, cause Sasuke clammed right up, but not before giving the blonde a haughty look. Sighing, Naruto decided that the boy had to go. Today was supposed to be teammates-proof and he intended to keep it that way.

"I'm not sure what you're doing here, but you need to go." Naruto said slowly, testing out each syllable to make sure they were the right ones. "I won't be home. I have things I need to do." The blonde waited patiently for the raven to stand and make a move for the door. He waited and waited. "Okay, what are you doing? I don't know if you know, but that was me kicking you out." Silence and a blank look. "Can you leave?"

Naruto groaned when Sasuke made no move to get up. "Did you notㅡ"

"I want food."

The blonde blinked incredulously. "You want something to eat?"

When the raven didn't reply, blue eyed boy looked around his apartment, a little confused as to what to do with his unwanted guest. He really didn't have much time. His cooking wasn't even done. He had a lot other dishes to make and he was due to meet Haru and Kiyoko in less than three hours.

Rubbing his head, he sighed loudly. With an exasperated glare, he walked to his small kitchen and grabbed an open bento box. "Here!" He said loudly, pushing it towards Sasuke. "Leave after you eat it."

The blonde huffed and walked back into the kitchen. The raven's behaviour was unorthodoxed. He had half the mind to think that the boy sitting at his dining table wasn't actually the Uchiha. The genius boy never did things like this. It was unlike him.

While cooking, Naruto was a little absentminded. Right in front of him was Sasuke, eating the bento he'd been given, quietly. It was unnerving. It left Naruto anxious and uncertain. It was clear that the raven was suffering from something since he'd search Naruto out. It was easy to spot; the tightening around the eyes, the tense way he was holding his chopsticks, the way his lips quivered as if he was ready to cry, and the way his eyes seemed to just glaze over the food like they weren't even there in front of him.

The blonde could just feel his barriers dropping and his will weakening. He wanted to help Sasuke. The black haired boy seemed to be in pain, in a dimension of his own and trapped there. Whatever made him seek out Naruto was a mystery. Perhaps the smell of food was similar to a comforting memory? The blonde had seen this happen to many people, usually it was on a traumatic date or something that reminded them of it.

Slumping, Naruto figured that he shouldn't just leave the Uchiha like that. His plans with his family would have to wait a while longer. His kids and Kurama won't be happy with him, but it wasn't like he could just leave a fellow teammate in that state.

Alright, he thought as he walked towards the seat across from the raven, I'll bite. There was a pregnant silence before the blonde boy broke it. "Wanna tell me why you're in a slump like this?"

All he got was silence and he was expecting that. Usually when Kiyoko got angry, she would retreat within herself and refuse to talk to anyone. He'd have to pry out her problems from her. It was common for kids to do that when they felt misunderstood.

He waited for Sasuke to talk patiently. "I just came for the food, dobe." The dark eyed boy murmured under his breath but Naruto heard it perfectly.

Naruto shrugged and raise both arms in surrender. "If you don't want to talk, it's fine." But the blonde didn't make any move to leave. He just sat there in front of the Uchiha, silent, patient, and waiting.

For a long while, it was just the two boys and their silent breathing occupying the room. Five minutes into waiting, the blonde had gone back into the kitchen. He figured that there was no point in waiting for a person unwill to speak. If Sasuke ever wanted to seek him out again, he was free to do so and if Sasuke wanted to talk with him, he'd be waiting and ready to listen.

"Here." Naruto glanced up. Since he had walked into the kitchen, he'd been busy making whatever caught his fancy. He'd tuned the Uchiha out, so when the boy walked up to him with his hands stretched out in front of him, Naruto was a bit lost.

"What is it?" The blonde asked cautiously.

"It's a seed." The bright haired boy raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "It's from a rare flower found only in the Uchiha district. When it blooms, it's supposed to give you something completely loyal to you. Granted you're the one that takes care of it."

The Uzumaki boy looked at the hand held out for him and then back towards the owner of it. "Why are you giving it to me?" Don't you need it more, thought the blonde.

"These flowers haven't bloomed in centuries. I have no need for it. It's just a myth, but the Uchihas kept it closely guarded. You can have it."

Naruto crossed his arms and frowned. "So you're giving me something that doesn't even work? Why would I accept it?"

The raven scowled. "You don't have to accept it, dobe! I was just being nice for once!"

The blonde rolled his eyes. "I'll take it." He thrust an open palm towards Sasuke. "If you're going out of your way to be nice, then who am I to refuse?"

Glaring at the blue eyed boy in front of him, Sasuke slapped the seeds on Naruto's waiting hand. "They're the last of their kind. Take care of it." The raven testily bit out before stomping his way out of Naruto's apartment.

The boy left behind had a confused smile on his face. Why give it to me, he thought looking at the small, brown seed in his hand. The seed didn't look special, and it probably wasn't. It was probably just some rare flower that grew around the Uchiha estate. It certainly didn't look like it could be a magical plant or anything that would warrant a myth of.

Shaking his head, Naruto slipped it in his pocket to plant later. He went back to the kitchen, grabbed a few bags on the counters and walked out the door. The blonde only hoped that nothing else would ruin his day with his precious ones.

.

.

.

Naruto was on his back, his head damp and his body aching in places that he didn't even know existed. A few days after Sasuke had barged into his home, Naruto had acted stupid and made a request for a C-rank mission. The blonde knew that the Hokage would not say no to him, and he took advantage of that. He had thought, what could go wrong on a C-rank mission? He hadn't thought that they'd encounter anything more than bandits.

How wrong he was...The events leading up to the final battle hadn't been good. The Uchiha had become even more vengeful than he already was. The Haruno girl became more withdrawn and it was painful to watch. He had promised himself that he wouldn't get close to his teammates, but he wasn't so cold hearted to ignore their pains. When the final battle actually came, his team had to witness a slaughter.

The people that were slaughtered deserved it, that, Naruto could fully agree, but his two teammates weren't ready for those things yet. The mission was completely Naruto's fault. He had asked for it.

The boy rolled onto his side. The blonde knew he wasn't _powerful_ , but he was strong. But in that situation, he was utterly helpless. He couldn't reveal his abilities without drawing attention, and he couldn't even fight properly. The whole entire trip consisted of him being completely distracted. He had things he had to hide. Things that needed his full attention.

He was truly and utter pathetic.

"Kit…" Naruto groaned. He tried waving away the shadow that obscured his vision of the clouds.

"What do you want Kurama?"

"Shouldn't you be at your apartment or in Team Seven's training grounds?" The redhaired man asked gruffly.

"I'm hiding from them." Naruto replied and turned his body to the other side. And away from the fox.

Kurama huffed and sat down, cross legged. "Kit, you have to talk eventually. You can't ignore your teammates or me forever."

"Watch me." The fox sighed and stood up. He grabbed the blonde's arms and dragged him up also. "What are you doing?!" The boy cried.

"We are going to _talk_. Then you are going to man up and face your teammates." Naruto opened his mouth to protest. "If you open your mouth to complain, Haru, Kiyoko, and Kyo are going to have a fun trip to the hot springs near Mount Haruki. _Without you_. And I'll be here to torture you." The blonde snapped his mouth shut. " _Now,_ let's talk."

The blonde grumbled under his breath, but didn't resist. For that, Kurama was happy. He wasn't sure he'd be able to handle a petulant Naruto. Not that the blonde was petulant much.

"I'm up. We can talk, now."

The fox pinched the point between his eyes and blew a large gust of air out of his lips. "I'm not sure how to prep you for this so I'm just gonna jump in and be blunt." The redhead faced Naruto with a serious expression, all traces of earlier's indulgence gone.

"Then go for it." The blue eyed boy gestured for Kurama to continue impatiently.

"You used my chakra on your Wave mission."

The blonde blinked, nothing betrayed his inner turmoil. Everything was a mess and he wasn't expecting for Kurama to confront him so quickly. He shouldn't have been surprised though. The fox, for all his trickery, was always blunt and to the point.

But still, he wasn't sure what to say. Using Kurama's chakra wasn't something that he'd been forbidden to do, but it was something that the fox hated. Not for any childish reason. The man Naruto considered a father, had a great reason for not wanting the blonde to use it.

Silence permeated the air around them. One was uncertain of what to say and the other was waiting for an answer, an acknowledgement.

Finally, the blue eyed boy opened his mouth to speak. "I wasㅡ"

"I told you _not_ to do it if you weren't in mortal danger!"

"Iㅡ" The blonde was cut off again.

"You know what it does to you! It's dangerous!" Naruto could only watch helplessly as Kurama ranted on and on about the dangers of using the malevolent chakra. "It could _kill_ you!"

The boy lowered his head shamefully and swallowed guiltily. He was perfectly aware of the dangers of using Kurama's chakra. He knew how powerful it made him and how addictive it was, but did he have any choice? Was he supposed to show his rookie teammates the true extent of his strength and have them shun him like all the others?

He went on and on about how he wouldn't get close to his teammates, how he could care less for anyone outside of their ragtag family of broken backgrounds, but when it really came down to it, their opinions mattered. They were _important_. They had warmed themselves into his heart and they gave him light and filled up the emptiness that his family couldn't no matter how hard they tried.

They made him forget where he came from, his responsibilities, and the imminent and unchangeable path that he'd have to walk on, eventually. They were his hold on reality. The ones that yanked him back and made him feel like he was just a normal boy. How was he supposed to let that _slip_ through his fingers?

That day on Wave, it was a life changing moment. He couldn't intervene even if he wanted to. The people's hopes and morals were on the line. If he showed his true abilities, he feared his teammates would not accept him. They had their own ideals at stake in that moment. There was a lot to lose and not much to gain.

But then a small, malicious voice whispered in his ears, contradicting his whole reasoning. _You didn't rely on Kurama's powers because you were afraid to show your true strength. You didn't even have any strength to use during the trip. You were in too much were hopeless...weak. You contributed to_ nothing _. You didn't have a choice but to use the fox's chakra…_

Naruto clenched his fists and closed his eyes. " _I know._ " He wasn't sure who he was saying that to. The voice, Kurama, or both.

Kurama straightened up and his eyes softened. "I just want you to understand the consequences it could've had. I'm not angry. I'm just terrified that the next time you make a reckless decision, it'll be your last."

The blonde finally looked up and gave a rueful smile. "I'm sorry."

Sighing, the fox rolled his eyes. He gave Naruto a small smile to show that the boy had been forgiven.

Forgiven but not forgotten, the fox reminded himself. "Eat then go find your teammates. You didn't ruin them. It's better that they're prepared for the cruelty life can offer early on than to face it later. That way, they have time to heal and come terms with what awaits for them in their future."

"They're children." The blonde argued.

"So are you." The fox reiterated, slinging his long arms over Naruto's neck. "Besides, this is the road they chose and it's not gonna end up pretty if you coddle them."

"Hmmm." The boy hummed. He wasn't convinced but Kurama made sense. Maybe he was just biased because he just wanted to care for his teammates like he'd never been cared for.

"You're gonna meet up with them right after you finish eating, alright? And don't sulk. Just look at the bright side. You have a place named after you and you got treated as a hero, right? Keep it up and…"

Naruto let Kurama's soothing voice wash over him. He seeked comfort in it. Everything about the now was normal. He didn't have to worry about anything. If only time would come to a standstill and capture this moment, Naruto would be eternally happy. It felt like the _before_. The time before he became a shinobi. The time when he didn't have to worry about another person's life other than his own family members.

If only, thought the blonde.

.

.

.

"Where have you've been Naruto?" The boy in question fidgeted under his silver haired sensei's hard stare. He truly didn't have any excuse to give to the man.

"I'm sorry." Naruto whispered, his cheeks were red from the attention of both his sensei and his teammates.

"You mean to tell me that you skipped three days of training, but you have no excuse? Even something unbelievable would suffice!" Kakashi's voice was dangerously low.

Naruto kept silent and his head down. He knew that this wasn't the usual behavior that he showed to his team, but he pushed the thought aside. "I don't have any excuse…" The blonde's voice was quiet and shameful.

The silver haired man narrowed his eyes. He wasn't angry at the blonde, but he _was_ worried and upset that the boy in front of him hadn't deemed it fit to inform his superior that he'd be missing for a couple of days.

 _Yes! Missing!_ Kakashi had searched everywhere in Konoha for the boy but he was nowhere to be found. No bright head and certainly no bright tail was found. Finally, after two days of constant searching, he'd gone to the Hokage to report that one estranged bright eyed, blonde haired boy was missing. He was shocked to find that the Hokage didn't even bat an eyelash. That didn't sit well with him.

"None?" The silver haired man nodded. "Alright then. Go run around Konoha a hundred times before the three days end. Go."

The blonde boy blinked. He wasn't sure if the man in front of him was being serious or not. Konoha was _large_ and ninja or not, there'd be no way he could run around it a hundred times before three days. The kind of speed needed were those of the current Raikage and the Yondaime. But even with their speed, they wouldn't be able to go around Konoha a hundred times before three days were up. Maybe thirty-five times. Or if they were _really_ pushing themselves, then maybe sixty. But they'd be right at death's door and he didn't have anywhere near that speed to succeed!

"Senseiㅡ"

" _Go_ before I increase your punishment!"

Hurt, the blonde ran away as quickly as he could. He made his way to the village gate, explained his situation to the guards and started running the perimeter. After one lap around the village, he was already sweating profusely, but he refused to give up and give his body the rest it deserved. If he stopped now, his mind would wander. He didn't need that. When the sun set, he'd managed to run thirteen laps. He'd been pacing himself, focusing on his breathing rather than the situation.

By the second day, he actually made it to sixty-seven laps, but it wasn't something he should've been proud of. To achieve that amount of laps, he had forgone rest completely. Food and water was ignored and any breaks he had were only the ones when his vision went blurry and black spots started to appear. Naruto still had to run thirty-three more laps before midnight of the third day. That was a feat that he didn't think he could accomplish.

However, when the third day ended, by some miracle, he'd managed to run the thirty-three laps left. Exhausted and barely breathing, the boy collapsed on the floor just after completing the last round needed. He was in so much _pain_. His airways had constricted and he was outright panicking. He tried to gulp puffs of air, but it was for naught.

His lungs burned as soon as any air touched it. He could feel slippery liquids running down his nose, eyes, and ears. His nose didn't hurt but his eyes and ears did. His eyes felt like a thousand needles were stabbing at it and the nerves connected there burned as if lava had somehow gotten itself into the small veins connect to his corea. It felt like someone was scratching the eyeballs and plucking them out without any care. The pains were simultaneous. They were different in they way that they caused him pain, but they were the same enhancing and increasing the intensity of the pain. It was excruciating. All those things seemed to happen all at once, _over_ and _over_ again. All he could see was black and white. Whenever he blinked, the pain would shoot up to his head and if he didn't blink, it felt like fire was being branded onto his eyeballs and into his skull. Both options were painful.

His ears were another matter completely. They couldn't stop ringing. The noises around him just increased the agony he was in, throbbing and aching. They stabbed at him, going deep inside his ears, hitting the nerves in there, only for the pain to radiate back out, increasing the intensity of the torture even more.

Then he started coughing and he didn't have to see to know that it was blood he was coughing up. His lungs burned as he tried to get more air. Everything he tried was useless. He couldn't even move his limbs properly. His legs felt broken. The bones splintering and cracking. He was sure that wasn't true but that's how he felt. His arms were heavy and it weighed him down. It throbbed, burnt, stung...he wasn't sure how to describe it. Maybe it was all three of them. But everything hurt. Every bone felt broken; all over his body. His spine felt as if someone was stomping on it over and over again. His head pounded; it felt light but in a agonizing way and he could barely lift it up. It was so intense that any little movement he made increased the suffering tenfold.

Despite all this, he tried crawling towards something that would help him sit up. He knew that he would not be able to support his own weight. He had to get better and he had to escape. Midnight was fast approaching and he was in a dire situation. Kakashi would be coming to check on him soon. Or he might not, but Naruto was not taking that chance. His sensei couldn't see him like this! This was personal and no matter how much he'd grown to care for the man, Kakashi didn't deserve to know his going-ons.

On his desperate crawl towards something to help him up, he was faintly aware of fast approaching footsteps. His already painful heart pounded in fear. He prayed to Kami it wasn't Kakashi or anybody he knew from his years in the academy.

" _Kit! Kit!"_ The bleeding boy sighed in relief. It was Kurama! " _Kit! Wake up! WAKE UP! Don't do this to me! Please!"_ He vaguely felt strong hands pick him up. Please be careful, he wanted to say, it hurts, but his voice left him and his lips wouldn't move. " _Stay with me, Kit! Don't give up!_ Please _don't give up!"_ Then his hearing decreased and it slowly left him. " _... gonna...fine, okay? I know you will. Just don't give…"_ Kurama's voice became faint and far away. Then his consciousness slipped away and he was left alone with the pain.

It seemed even when passed out, his suffering still continued.

* * *

 **A/N: So what do you think? What do you think is the cause of Naruto's pain? What do you think of the characters mentioned in the chapter? TELL ME!**

 **Please REVIEW! I need it! Badly. It annoys me to no end when someone reads my story, but I have no idea what they're thinking.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

 **Yup! Here it comes. Not sure how it'll turn out since I wrote the Author's Note before writing the actual story. Still, please show me a lot of support and tell me what you think.**

 **ENJOY!**

 **Warning! Grammars, always...**

 **Pairing: Not sure. Maybe implied ones?**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **Leaving Behind**

 **Chapter Three**

Naruto slowly opened his cerulean colored eyes, wincing when the bright light harshly hit him. The second try was better and when he took a look around him, he let out a relieved sigh. It was a small room with white curtains, orange walls, a small bookshelf near the window, and a large study table with a tray of fresh porridge on it. There was nothing spectacular about the room, except for a large photo in front of him. It was of a red haired man and a blonde boy around one or two. The man was hugging the boy and smiling softly while the blonde boy's face was completely blank. The picture was beautiful. It depicted the emotion of the whole scene very well. A bittersweet memory of faded happiness.

Naruto smiled wistfully at the photograph. It reminded him of better days and the time he spent with the man. Back then, he was loved dearly and safe. He knew the evils of the world but it couldn't touch him. He held no worries. It was just him and the man, spending their days together playing or learning. Sometimes, they'd just sit beside each other on the porch and watch as the rain fell. Both lost in their own thoughts with a steaming cup of green tea that they'd always leave untouched. Those days were peaceful and calm. He had never thought that he'd lose it all.

That's life, he supposed. Nothing ever goes unchanged.

"Kit?" Naruto glanced at the door. There was Kurama, standing at the door with a shocked expression with watery eyes.

"Kurama," Naruto smiled. He was always happy to see the immortal fox. "Something happened to me?"

Kurama rushed over to the blonde boy's bed and hesitantly reached out his hands to Naruto's face before grabbing him into a crushing hug. Naruto laughed a little at Kurama's reaction, wincing when his chest burned for whatever reason. The fox pulled back and grabbed Naruto's face and stared at the boy intently.

"Don't ever do that, again. _Ever_!" He growled. Confused, the eyed boy just nodded.

"What happened to me?" He asked the man in front of him.

"You passed out for _three_ days!" Kurama roared angrily after he'd disengaged himself from Naruto. " _I_ should be the one asking you _what the hell happened_!" The fox rubbed his face before taking in a deep breathe. "Now, dig in that brain of yours and tell what happened."

The blonde slid to the edge of the bed and shook his head when he felt a slight migraine. He was starting to remember a little, but not enough to get a whole picture. He winced when he remembered getting scolded by Kakashi and running laps around Konoha. That was it. He didn't remember how he got in such a bad condition, though. Or...was he in a bad condition? Perhaps he shouldn't mention Kakashi at all?

"I think…" Naruto blinked as his vision got a little blurry. He groaned when he felt his stomach heaving.

"Breathe, Kit. _Breathe_." Kurama's one hand rubbed the blonde's back gently while the other grabbed a nearby trashcan. "Here." He pushed it in front of the boy and purred soothingly. He waited patiently for his Kit to finish before pushing the trash far away. "Kit?" He whispered.

"Sorry." Naruto wiped his mouth and took in a deep breathe. "What happened while I was out of commission? The kids?" Naruto have the fox an expectant look.

"They're fine." The fox reported while he grabbed for a wet towel nearby. "However, your situation was bit...complicated." He winced as he said that. "I had to take a few matters under my own hands."

"Meaning?"

"I…" Kurama swallowed heavily. "I staged a kidnap attempt on you. Right now, your peers think you're in the hands of an Iwa nin." Naruto blinked. "I—The—I needed time for you to recover. The Hokage doesn't know about your, uh, situation so I staged a kidnapped attempt and told him that you're with me."

"You...do realize that this will have some serious consequences, right?" The blonde asked slowly.

"They'll cover it up." Kurama tried. "Your village will never let your true identity become known to the populace."

"Yet, the populace still knew of my Jinchuuriki status." Naruto answered dryly. The man in front of him huffed. "It's okay." He said as Kurama lowered his eyes. "You brought time. Am I alright now?"

The red haired man's eyes softened. "No. You need to stay here for two more days. I need to make sure you're alright. I've got Kyo taking care of Haru and Kiyoko."

Naruto nodded. It was good to stay away from his team for a few days. Staying near them made his heart ache.

…

"This house," Naruto asked a day and a half later, "I didn't know that you still kept it."

The blonde was sitting on in front of a table in a modest dining room connect to the kitchen. Kurama, his only company since he'd woken up, was in the kitchen cooking. Naruto had been forbidden from going outside since they were near Konoha borders.

"He left it to you. So, after we left it and bought the other house, I went back and kept it in order. I've had glimpses of back then and you both seemed really fond of the plants. The house also had a lot of memories."

"Is that why you…" Naruto let the sentence fade.

"I didn't tend to this place for that sole purpose. I thought that it would be a good hideout if anything were to ever happen." Kurama walked over to Naruto with a tray and two steaming bowls. "Here."

"Ramen?" Naruto smiled.

"Shut up and eat." The fox growled with a red face.

The blonde boy grabbed his chopsticks and smiled. Life wasn't so bad, he thought. If he went back in time, he didn't think that he'd change anything. There were a lot of painful things that happened but they all led to him meeting Kurama and his kids. His experiences helped him grow and become a stronger person. The road wasn't easy but the destination was worth it, he thought.

Kurama looked up from his bowl and furrowed his brows. His kit looked happy, and he wanted to preserve the moment for as long as possible. When he'd been sealed inside the child, he'd been a mass of hatred and destruction. He remembered that. He knew also, that he hadn't been the greatest person to Naruto. He'd killed the kids parents and left Konoha in shambles. Made the kid a target of hatred for _his_ actions.

He had never held any regret for his actions until he came into contact with the blonde child, his kit. He'll admit that he definitely didn't act courteously the first time they met. He'd left the boy in a coma for three months and used his unconscious and defenseless state to slip his chakra out to corrupt the boy. When Naruto woke up from his comatose state, Kurama had already broken a bit of the seal off to allow him to talk with the child.

He was a demon. He had whispered thoughts into the child. Insecurities, and suicidal thoughts. Give him nightmares and exploit his weakness. But still, through all of that, the child stayed strong. He had been frustrated that he couldn't corrupt the blonde haired boy. He had wanted to prove that humans were selfish and inferior—that even innocent children could grow up to be monsters. Finally, he pushed too far.

When the boy was four, maybe five, he'd slipped a little of his chakra into one of the patrons at the orphanage. It was easy to do since the patrons there would always beat Naruto up for any insignificant reasons. He had underestimated the hatred the patrons there held for the blonde boy. He thought they would just torture Naruto—beat him up, starve him, stab him a few times, sell him, kill him…

He didn't know that there would be casualties…

The patron there had noticed that Naruto loved the children more than anything. They were precious to him and the patron realized that the only way to truly make the boy suffer was to take away those that he held dear. So, the patron started the fire that killed all the orphanages except for three. Naruto and his two kids, Haru and Kiyoko.

Kurama had regretted it instantly when it happened. When what he had worked so painstakingly hard, was accomplished; to break Naruto. The boy wanted to kill himself and Kurama regretted his actions for the first time. Not for self preservation, but he realized that he never hated the kid. That he wasn't annoyed by Naruto's purity, he actually loved it. Naruto's caring and gently personality that never changed, no matter what...it had attracted him. He just couldn't admit it to himself.

The boy, Naruto was truly kind and forgiving. He never once blamed anybody. Not _truly_ , anyway. He accepted everything. When the first person he'd ever cared about passed away, Naruto understood that that was just life. When he'd been sent to a neglected orphanage, he took matters into his own hand and took care of the children that needed caring. When the fire started...he'd broken down and cried. Not for himself but for the innocent children that lost their lives, for the people that couldn't see through the curtains of darkness and let go of their pain to move on and be happy in the present. He never blamed anyone for the hand they'd play in his life.

When Naruto had almost killed himself, he'd given up hope in people and was ready to die. Ready to bury the people's hatred for what he'd contained. He was understanding to the end. And to Kurama, who'd prayed for the very first time since ever, for Naruto to live, thought it was a miracle when Haru and Kiyoko's cries filled the emptiness in the blonde boy's soul. They'd given him hope, a reason to live, and something worth fighting for. They reinstilled the hope for people that they weren't truly beyond saving. They just needed a lot of caring.

And so, Naruto eventually learned of the hand Kurama played in the blonde's life. Instead of met with scorn, anger, or any kind of negativity...instead, Kurama was met with a sad smile full of forgiveness and understanding and in that moment, the fox had never felt more ashamed or humiliated of himself.

" _It's okay._ " The boy had said with a sad smile. " _For what you did, it's okay. I won't hate you. Getting angry at you won't change anything. We can't go back and fix our mistakes. We can only live in the now and not in the yesterday._ " Kurama had cried for the first time.

The fox lowered his head in shame and anger at his previous self. Memories of the past came randomly these days. Happy ones, peaceful ones, sad ones, painful ones. They all came and left whenever they pleased. Some left him smiling, others left him in shame and self-loathing, while some just made him angry.

"Kurama?" Naruto called. The redhead had been silent for a awhile.

The fox's head snapped up. "Huh?"

"You okay?" The blonde was a little curious. Since he'd woken up, Kurama seemed a little distant.

Kurama blinked and took a deep breath to calm down. "Yeah...I just need to tell you something, that's it. I wasn't sure when I'd tell you, but it's probably better now than later." Naruto nodded and gestured for the fox to go on. "I'm planning on leaving for a trip."

"And?" The blonde asked cautiously.

"I'm not sure how long it'll take." Naruto frowned. "I want to do a little research."

"Is it for me?" The boy asked.

"It's...It's for me. I have a few things that I want to check out. And I have leads now." The red haired man waited with baited breath for Naruto's response.

He couldn't go with a clear conscious if Naruto didn't approve of it. Kurama found it appalling at times at how much the boy's approval meant to him. However, this was something he was going to do regardless of what the blonde thought. He'd have to leave with an empty heart, but he was still going to do it.

Naruto sighed and stayed silent for a moment. He could see that this was something that Kurama really wanted to do. The fox wouldn't be able to find any peace, otherwise.

"Come back safe." He smiled, though his heart ache painfully.

…

Naruto stared at the large, framed picture intently. He'd been at it since seven in the morning. It had caught his attention after he'd finished packing. He didn't have a copy of the photo and he didn't remember the photo being there when he was younger. Before leaving, he wanted to commit it to memory. He only had a few more hours left before he had to leave.

"Kit?" The beautiful man popped his head in. "Ready?"

Naruto got up and grabbed the dark cloak beside him. "Yeah." He whispered.

He walked out of the door and gave his room one last look before walking out. When he got out Kurama was already outside with a light armor that flared out for easy movements. His red hair swung freely and in his glove covered hands was a spear that held intricate designs.

"What's this?" He asked raising a curious brow at Kurama's choice of clothing.

The fox turned towards him with a serious look. "I'm leaving today. This is my cover."

Naruto frowned. "I thought you were going after I got back to Konoha?"

"You can handle yourself, brat. If I stay in Konoha, the people looking for me will attack." The fox sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'll help from the shadows."

Before Naruto could get a word in, Kurama was already gone. With a frustrated groan, he also left for meeting spot the red headed man had told him about. When he arrived, an hour had already passed. He could've made it there earlier but he wanted a leisure walk. In Konoha, it was rare that you'd have time to yourself. Even if there were no training or missions, there were still genins that would barge in. Shinobi did not know the definition of privacy.

The area for the meeting was near a large tree—one of the largest he'd ever seen. Next to the large tree was a tree stump and across were clusters of rocks. Other than that, there was not much. Trees surrounded the place, but nothing distinctive.

"Naruto-kun." The blonde slowly turned to face the old man.

"Hokage-sama." He bowed respectfully. He took note of the sad and disappointed look of the old man and felt a little bad. The old man wanted him to be like his other persona; happy and endearingly disrespectful but that wasn't who Naruto was.

"I heard you've been kidnapped, but you're not. Is there something I must know?" The Sandaime asked politely with a little edge. Naruto was immediately reminded of why the man was Hokage.

"The Kyuubi no Yoko has gone on a journey." He ignored the old man's flash of fear and shock. "I was needed to...accompany him for awhile." The man's hesitance made Naruto a little wary.

"Did he say where he was going or why?"

"No, Hokage-sama."

The old man nodded with a contemplating look and gestured for Naruto to follow him. It seemed the old man had a lot to think about. Kurama leaving only made the matters worse. While Naruto wasn't always aware of the ins and outs of Konoha politics, he knew that politics were stressful. He saw for himself how much of a toll it took on the old man. Naruto wished that he could help, but his interest and the old man's interest were way out of whack.

Three hours later, both were in the old man's office. It air was stiff and tense, both not quite sure what to do with the other. They'd already discussed Naruto's cover story and both were just waiting for the rest of Team Seven to arrive. The Hokage had sent messenger bird over an hour ago, and the team were due to arrive any minute.

The Hokage, instead of focusing on his pile of papers, was instead staring at the blonde boy intently. A nervous and unsure Naruto wasn't something he saw often and it was amusing. So many emotions ran through the boy's face. Usually the boy wasn't easy to read. You only saw what he wanted you to see. Even for a man as himself who's had a vast amount of experience was the same as everyone else. Simply said, when it came to the blonde boy, he was stumped.

Naruto never interacted with him more than he had to. Whatever time he would spend with the Hokage, it was always forced. The first time that the old man had met Naruto, he was surprise. More than surprised, actually. The kids had two children he claimed as his own, had his own house, had enough money to support his lifestyle, and the most shocking of all: the fox was out of the cage!

Sarutobi didn't know how to react. He'd done and said a few things that he wasn't proud of, but he reasoned that it was all to protect the village. Naruto _needed_ to become a shinobi so that they could keep watch of the Kyuubi. He didn't trust that the fox won't run wild. He'd like to say that he regretted forcing Naruto to become a shinobi, but he didn't. The boy was a natural and having him as a shinobi meant that the boy didn't fall into civilian custody. It was also a way of protecting the boy. That wasn't to say that he only cared for what the boy contained. The old man also cared for Naruto as a person. It was just hard to care for someone that didn't let you in.

There were many times in the past where he'd tried getting close the boy. He had used excuses like keeping cover to go and take the boy out for ramen or shopping for clothes. In public, the boy was epitome of rowdy and unpredictable—a fool. However, as soon as they were alone, he'd completely change. Instead of the bright boy who loves pranks, he's a quiet and polite one. Such a contrast that when he became cold and distant, it hurt. The boy wasn't aware of it, but people were attracted to him like a bee to honey and the Sandaime was no different. He hadn't been unaffected at all.

Even so, the boy was completely oblivious of it all. How he'd hurt someone without even intending to. It would stab right through the heart. Maybe, the Hokage thought, that the only thing Naruto kept was his obliviousness. Oblivious to the people that wanted to get close to him, to get to boy and claim a part of his heart for their own. It was the same said for the blonde's teammates. Kakashi was had failed before he'd even started. The pink girl never even had a chance to start with.

The closest was probably the Uchiha boy. To a passerby, they'd think that Naruto treated everybody close to his heart, but it was not so. They couldn't by far enough. To the boy, the so-called-friends he made in and out of his academy years were just as good as strangers. He cared for them but they had no place in his heart.

He only cared for them. He didn't love them. Call the old man greedy, but he didn't just want Naruto's care. He wanted Naruto's adoration. Maybe it was because he saw a small part of it when the boy interacted with the Kyuubi and the two kids Haru and Kiyoko. He wanted to ellicitate a smile that would warm the heart of the coldest man alive. He wanted to see the eyes that would light up in happiness. The eyes that shone so blue, nothing could ever compare. Not the best jewels, not the sky, and certainly not the ocean. He wanted to see those things and to an old man, there would be nothing he'd ever treasure more than those sights.

"They're here." Naruto said as his facade changed immediately.

The blonde was in his usual orange jumpsuit with his bright blonde hair that put the sun to shame and bright blue eyes that were rarer than any jewel. Naruto, the Hokage thought, was a heartbreaker but no one bothered to look past his clothes to see anything else. However, the old man chuckled to himself, even in the horrendous orange jumpsuit, the boy managed to look cool...or at least he did before he sensed his teammates. Now, he couldn't see it anymore.

"Come in," he called before they could knock. He gave a meaningful look to Naruto and put on a grave look while Naruto looked down and tried to look sullen.

The door slammed open with Kakashi in the middle. The other two were beside him; the pink girl on his right and the Uchiha boy on his left. The three had panicked faces and the look of someone that just had their heart torn out. It saddened the old man's heart to see that Naruto would never return any of their feelings of love and care.

"Naruto!" The girl whispered with teary eyes.

The Sandaime saw a flash of guilt enter the boy's eyes before disappearing immediately. Huh, Sarutobi thought, maybe he has let them in.

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi said after he'd managed to straightened his face. Naruto was purposefully making a fool of himself and laughing boisterously. Telling the story of his supposed kidnapped with exaggerated gestures. "What happened? Who had him? How did he escape?"

"Calm down, Kakashi. Everything's fine now. The rogue nin didn't torture him or anything. They were just looking for exotic things to sell, and as you see, Naruto-kun is _very_ exotic." The silver-haired man opened his mouth. "Naruto escaped when the nin fell asleep."

"How?" Kakashi asked. "If those nin could subdue Naruto then that must mean they're chuunin or above! How did he managed that?"

"I'm a prankster, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto smiled widely. "There's nothing a master prankster can't do!" He gave the man an exaggerated thumbs up. "I can get myself out of sticky situations, easy."

Kakashi stared at Naruto with a hesitant look. He wanted to continue on asking questions but another part of him just told him to be happy that the blondie was fine. He bowed his head in resignation after a few moments. He would concede now but later, he was going to ask questions.

Thirty minutes later, all of Team Seven were outside of the tower. The atmosphere between them was less than pleasing. Naruto was nervously fidgeting while the other three walked on in silence. The blonde wasn't sure what to say to them. To be completely honest, he wanted to get away from them as soon as possible.

"Naruto-kun." The blonde looked up nervously at his sensei. "Forgive me."

"What for?" He asked. He was slightly on edge.

"It was my fault that you were kidnapped." The man said.

The blonde shook his head and smiled. "Not your fault sensei." He said.

"Let's go eat." Sasuke suddenly blurted. Three confused faces turned to him. He scowled and started walking. If the others wanted to follow him then they would.

"I can't." The raven immediately stopped when he heard the Naruto's voice. The whipped around and glared. "Maybe tomorrow." The blonde went on, oblivious to the raven's growing ire.

"Idiot!" Sakura yelled as she punched Naruto hard. "Who do you think Sasuke-kun was saying that for?! We've all been worried about you!" She huffed angrily and crossed her arms.

Naruto struggled to maintain a confused look as he tried keeping the pain at bay. When the pinkette had punched him, the breath had been knocked out of him and he was having a hard time keeping himself from blacking out.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan." He mumbled.

"He needs to rest, Sakura." Kakashi interrupted.

He gave Naruto a nod and the blonde quickly ran off.

 _He needed to escape._

* * *

 **A/N: Sooooo…..nothing interesting happened. That was kind of boring. Still, I'd love to hear what you have to say. Like maybe, what's Naruto's past? Why Naruto seems to be in pain more than not? Where did Kurama go? What happened to the kids? And whatnot.**

 **Ask your questions in your review. Give me your thoughts or your predictions. I'd love to hear those! What do you think will happen next? REVIEW AND TELL ME!**

 **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**

 **I hope that this chapter might give you a little bit more insight on Naruto and his past. It wasn't an easy one, that's for sure. So please read it and tell me what you think!**

 **ENJOY!**

 **Warning! Grammars, always...**

 **Pairing: Not sure. Maybe implied ones?**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

* * *

 **Leaving Behind**

 **Chapter Four**

"Hello," Naruto started touching his head with the worn and unkempt headstone. "I haven't been around here for a long time. I have someone I wanted to avoid so...I just kind of stayed away. Sorry." He whispered. The blonde took a deep breath. "There's a lot of things I want to tell you, but I don't really know where to start." Naruto pulled his head back from the headstone and sat with his back to it and his head turned towards the cheerful sky.

"I became a shinobi. I became a genin and pretty soon I'll be a chuunin then a jounin. Or maybe not." He added with a sigh. "My teammates...they're so different. One's loud and the other's quiet, but both are colorful and alive. Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura's a fan of Sasuke but she's smart. _Really_ smart. She hates me, though and she's not afraid to show it. Despite that, I don't hate her. It's not her fault. Then there's Sasuke, the Uchiha. He always broods and at unexpected times, he would show up at my apartment and demand for food. The first time he did that, I was so confused. Now, I think I've adapted. My cooking probably awakened his childhood memories before the trauma. I might be a bit pompous when I say this, but I think eating my food soothes him a little. And then, there's my quirky sensei. He's probably the strangest of them all. He has an orange book that he carries around with him wherever he goes and he has hair as white as snow and it sticks up!" He laughs humorlessly.

"Sometimes, when he thinks that I'm not looking, he'd stare at me intensely, trying to read me and when I turn, he'd quickly look elsewhere. I get this feeling that he blames me for my birth parents' deaths. Maybe he doesn't realise it, but he has this face that he makes when he's looking at me. It's full of pain and hate and loathing and anger. And his eyes...he thinks I don't notice cause I make myself out like an idiot, but it's pure agony. He lives like that everyday. I don't know how he hasn't exploded yet. I wonder if he's ever tried forgiving..."

Naruto heaved a sigh. "Kurama, the fox has left me again. This time, I'm not sure when he's coming back. He says that he has something he needs to check up on, but I think he's partially lying. I think he left because of me. He probably knows that I knows. He's too clever not to. But nothing he does will help. I wish that he'd stop giving himself false hope…."

"He thinks I've accepted it. The fact that I'll be gone from this world, but I haven't. I just pretend that I do. I hope that if I look like I do, he'll leave it alone and start to accept. Maybe move on with his life. He hasn't though." Naruto was silent for a moment. "I'm a little scared that he'll tell my kids, Haru and Kiyoko, to be honest. They're older now so they'll understand. I don't want them to know. They're so cheerful and smart. They could be anything they want to be, but it's funny. When they found out that I was a ninja, they both said that's what they want to be. I told them no and they raised hell for months before Kurama got fed up with it and begged me to let them become shinobi. When I told him no, the fluffball said he was leaving for some peace of mind." The blonde laughed and it twinkled merrily, the winds greedily grabbing it before spreading it for the surrounding wildlife to hear, making the leaves on the branches perk up and the animals stopped their course to listen to the beautiful sound. They swayed dreamily before shaking their head as the sound faded away.

"Haru and Kiyoko gave me the silent treatment for weeks before starting on an adventure to the Hokage's tower. Imagine my surprise when I'm called there only to see my beautiful children on the other side! I was _so_ mad at them. I yelled at them. Something that I'd never done before." Naruto smiled nostalgically. "But they still got their way. Haru went first and Kiyoko threw a huge temper tantrum over that. Haru was happy, though. He had something he could gloat over. Not that it lasted long. She went in shortly after. She pestered everybody around her; the Hokage, Kurama, the academy teachers, me, Kyo, Kimiku, and especially Tetsuo when she found out that he used to be an academy teacher. It was because of him that she got into the same class as Haru. _Boy_ , was Haru _angry_ about that!"

Naruto sighed and got up, dusting himself in the process. "I want to tell you more," He said, "but I have to go. I'll try to stop by more often."

With that said, The boy walked away, without a glance back to the lone headstone, a bit isolated by the others. It was the only headstone that wasn't tended to properly with weeds wrapping around it. It was beaten and cracked, but it didn't seem like anybody cared.

Except Naruto, because it was the headstone of the man who cared for him.

 _Aki Yukita_

 _Shinobi, Caretaker, & Protector_

 _May He Rest In Peace_

…

It was early morning and Naruto was still half asleep. Haru and Kiyoko had woken him half an hour ago to watch them practice. With their powerful pouting eyes, he'd had little choice in the matter. He forced himself to get up, made some tea and sat outside in his huge backyard. The kids were already there, dueling their way into sunrise. They'd tried getting as much practice as they could before the academy started and Naruto had forbidden them to practice without adult supervision.

Haru and Kiyoko, as they'd gotten older, seemed to hold a lot of competition towards each other. It wasn't a hateful one, but his kids hated losing. Haru was probably less competitive, but Kiyoko forced it out of him. His little girl with navy blue hair and amber colored eyes, hated losing, especially when it came to her older brother. Haru, who'd been gifted with natural intellect and superior physique, excelled at almost everything. Not that Kiyoko was any slouch. For whatever she lacked she made up in determination and hours of practice. She'd always goad Haru into a fight to test her strength. And she was always left disappointed when she was swiftly defeated time and time again.

"Again!" Kiyoko shouted across the field at Haru. She had been beaten again, but her eyes were ablaze with strength.

"It's enough Kiyoko." Haru shouted back. "We've been at this since four this morning and we only have an hour before the academy starts. We'll practice again after it ends."

"No! We'll practice for thirty more minutes." She insisted. "Or are you afraid that you'll lose?"

"I'm not listening to you this time." Haru's green eyes brightened angrily but he kept his cool. "I'm not going to be late again because my _little sister_ decided that she'd rather throw a temper tantrum than accept her lost." He pushed past her angrily, his red hair swayed with his movement.

"You're actually running away from a little girl?" She threw back at him. "Are you afraid that if you practice with me any longer, I'll get the hang of your fighting style and defeat you?"

Haru stopped. He was bristling with unleashed fury. Naruto sighed and rubbed his eyes. His kids were very emotional when it came to each other, but anyone else? They were like a blank canvas.

"Enough, you two." Naruto whispered softly before he getting up leisurely and yawning. "Training's over. Get ready. _Please_." He added when he saw Haru's smug look and Kiyoko's threatening glare.

None of them moved. They'd locked themselves in a standstill. It was only broken when the blonde walked over to Haru, draped his arm over the boy's shoulder and gently turned him around, forcing him to break eye contact with Kiyoko. He threw his head back and gave Kiyoko a mischievous wink when the red haired boy groaned in frustration at his loss.

Thirty minutes later, both kids had showered and changed and both were racing down the stairs. Kiyoko arrived first after she'd shoved her brother aside. She gave Naruto a cute smile and flipped her hair as Haru arrived behind her. Naruto just smirked as Haru's face got slapped by his younger sister's hair. Before she could walk away, Haru grabbed one of her pigtails and tugged it back.

Naruto hid his smile as they walked out of the door. Despite the way they acted towards each other, Naruto knew that they were fiercely protective of the other. They didn't need words or actions to prove it. Just simple glances were enough.

With the two gone, the blonde gave the house a disdainful glance and frowned. While the house wasn't dirty, per say, it certainly needed tidying up. He'd only been home long enough to drop off meals or prepare them. Do a few laundries for the kids, water his plants. He'd never actually cleaned the house. Haru and Kiyoko weren't messy kids, but they didn't care for the small things they dropped around the house or the occasional clusters of dirty clothes or the dust that was piling up on the shelves, nor did they seem to care that the floor was in need of moping. It was alright to them as long as it _appeared_ clean.

With a resigned sigh, Naruto started cleaning. He didn't bother to use his shadow clones. It was one of the rare moments where he was alone with no one to hassle him and he intended to take full advantage of it. He only had a little more than an hour before he'd have to attend his team meeting.

The blonde boy had a small inkling as to why they called, but he didn't acknowledge it in fear that it was actually true. No—he wasn't afraid. He just didn't want to think about it. It made the already crushing burden even heavier. No matter what, the Hokage had ordered for him to pass the Chuunin Exams and for a first timer, Naruto was going in blind. He was like a puppet in a sick game to amuse those that stood above him. It made his stomach queasy just thinking about it.

With cleaning done, the bright haired boy wandered the streets, looking for his teammates. He found both of them in Ichiraku's sitting together with expressions less than welcome. Sasuke always looked like that and Sakura was probably warning away any future fangirls of the raven beside her. Naruto wondered absentmindedly when the pinkette's obsession with the Uchiha would fade. It had to fade _sometime_ , right?

When the two saw him, their expression changed. Sasuke's features softened a little while Sakura switched to a glare. A week ago, when he had disappeared, they weren't happy with him. Sakura had insulted him to cover her nervousness and worry while Sasuke toned down his anger a notch. He probably riled both of them up. One part of him felt guilty while the other part felt satisfaction. Guilty that he had scared them and satisfaction that they'd been faced with the reality that you only have one chance with someone before they disappeared.

"Hey!" He shouted with fake exuberance. He was met with cool glares from both of them. He ignored it and went to sit on an empty seat next to Sakura.

"You're late, baka!" She snapped angrily. "Why can't you ever get here early? You'd think you'd be the first here, considering there's no one waiting for you at home." The blonde boy blinked and there was an awkward silence. Naruto couldn't say he was hurt, he was used to these types of things, but he was a little stunned.

"Sorry…" The blonde mumbled, a little unsure how to placate her.

"No fighting, children." Three heads snapped to the humble entrance of _Ichiraku's_. The flap was pulled back to reveal a tall man with only one visible eye and a black face mask. "Come to training Ground Seven."

It wasn't long before the three arrived at Ground Seven in a sullen silence. They were a pleasantly suprised to find their sensei sitting on top of a rock, waiting for them patiently. Each took a seat on the ground in front of the one eyed man, making sure to put as much space between each other as possible. If Kakashi noticed their awkwardness, he didn't say anything.

"I've decided…" The white haired man paused dramatically, waiting for his kids to interrupt any moment. After a minute passed in silence, he was disappointed. "I've decided to enter the three of you into the Chuunin Exams!" He finished with flourish. "Each of you have a choice. You don't have to enter. If you decided yes," He handed each of them a piece of paper, "fill this out." Kakashi gave the three of them critical stares before sitting back. "Well, that's it! Take the day off to make up your mind." Nobody made a moved when he disappeared in a piled of leaves as generic of all Konoha jonins.

Half an hour later, the three were walking in silence once again, through the streets of Konoha. Naruto's to teammates were lost in thought while Naruto was planning on how to ditch his the two without making it look like he did it on purpose. He wasn't ready to start a verbal spar. It always left him empty and tired afterwards. He needed another way out…

...and that was when he saw something odd. A square box drawn crudely to resemble the tall wooden fence behind it. But that wasn't what got his attention. What got his attention was that it moved when he moved and stopped when he stopped. Feeling a sense of deviousness, Naruto waited for it to play out. He'd have his excuse soon.

And not a moment sooner, the box ran into Sakura, revealing three academy brats tumbling from the box. Naruto watched as Konohamaru with his ridiculous goggles argued fiercely with his pink haired teammate while the other two, Moegi and Udon, watched a few steps away from the fight. Smart, he thought.

The moment Konohamaru ran away from Sakura, Naruto was a free man...except his legs instinctively followed Konohamaru. The brown haired Sarutobi was older than both Haru and Kiyoko, but he couldn't help feeling a sense of worry whenever he saw the little boy running around on his own. And he was right to feel worried.

With a stop so sudden, Naruto was even shocked with himself. In front of him was the young Sarutobi, dangling in front of some foreign ninja. It was almost like a sick joke with the memory it recalled.

In Naruto's mind, the boy dangling was no longer Konohamaru but someone else; a little girl who was barely four years old. Her head was snapped at a weird angle where it looked like a ragged doll. Her body was limp and lifeless, but she was still hung in the air. Her once beautiful brown hair were in clumps of dry blood.

Naruto stood frozen, mouth agape at the scene. He'd spent all day looking for her. He could feel the bile rising up and threatening to heave. Naruto's blue eyes went down and he regretted it. The bottom half was completely torn off and blood was pooling on the ground.

"BOSS!" Naruto blinked. The image of the girl was gone. Instead, Konohamaru faded in place, struggling and kicking his legs.

Legs, the blonde thought dumbly. He has legs. It's not torn off. He's okay.

Cerulean blue eyes hardened into a glare, the light in those dark depths were gone, replaced with a coldness that chilled the bones. His face, which was so expressive earlier, twisted into a blank mask, an uncaring one. The change that took place in him took only a split second. The once cheerful aura that he exclude was gone—transformed instead, into a dark one. It came out in waves, choking people close to him, giving them a taste of the pain he carried deep in his heart. It clawed at them, tearing their sanities apart, driving them closer and closer to Naruto's pain.

But as fast as it came, it ended. When people became again, it was like Naruto hadn't even moved. Except he did because Konohamaru was wrapped safely in his arms in a manner so protective, it looked like a feral monster protecting it's young. And then people moved on like nothing happened. The warm light was back, soothing anyone that was close and taking away any darkness that was left. It was like a mother to her child, giving comfort and helping to forget the nightmares that took place just seconds ago. Soon, it was dulled and the fear and pain they felt just moments ago was forgotten and their sanities which had temporarily crumbled was pieced back together.

However, the pain the blonde felt at that moment was intense. His head was swimming and his air was all choked up. His body burned, inside and out. The blood that was flowing through his veins didn't feel like blood. It felt like hot lava and it _burned_. He knew that any moment now, he'd cough up blood from his mouth, and have it drip from his eyes and ears and nose… He had to make it quick and leave.

And when Sasuke intervened, the blonde was grateful. And through the pain, Naruto was aware of a new comer. A redhaired one with murderous eyes and a lonely aura that spoke of pain and desperation. The blonde knew immediately as did the redhead, what their stations in life were. They were Jinchuurikis', but Naruto knew that even though the boy in front of him contained a demon, the boy wasn't the same. The both contained the same thing, hated for the same reason, but they weren't the _same_.

 _Gaara_ , he remembered faintly when he was far away from any form of human life, in the cabin hidden in the woods. The boy smelled of blood and in his muddled thoughts, he saw Gaara as a child, hanging feets above the ground next to a little girl with brown hair. The girl had no legs, they were torn off, but Gaara was perfectly intact. Their heads were bent at an odd angle and they were smiling a bloody smile, but they were both dead. There were no lights in their eyes. _They were mocking him._

 **...**

Soon, the days had passed in a blur. Before he knew it, the Chuunin Exams were only only a few hours away. The blonde wasn't as eager to participate as he had led people to believe. There were so many things that could go wrong and he had a lot that he didn't want to leave behind. He wasn't so naive to believe that determination would cut a straight path for you.

"Daddy, our Genin Exams are today." Naruto pulled back from his reverie and gave Kiyoko his full attention. "Are you coming?" Naruto frowned. The day coincided with his own Chuunin Exams. Did the Hokage do that on purpose?

"Yeah." The blonde decided that even if he had to substitute a shadow clone in with his teammates, he was going to make his children's most important day.

"Good." Haru nodded, as he walked into the room shirtless. "Is there a prize for being first place genin?"

Naruto smirked when Kiyoko glared at her brother. "Maybe the rights to brag?" He teased his youngest.

"Speaking of bragging," Haru cut in, "I think you're probably the youngest father alive. When are you turning thirteen?" Both kids were old enough and smart enough to understand that Naruto wasn't _really_ their parent. He wasn't old enough to actually be one and not to mention the small age difference between them, but they never commented on it. They were happy keeping things the way they were and in their eyes, Naruto _was their_ parent. He was with them before they could even develop their memory. He was always there, from start to finish. They hadn't known any other.

"Yeah!" Kiyoko yelled smugly. "If we turn out right, you get to brag to all the older fathers how badly their parenting skills are!"

The blonde chuckled. "First, I have to get out of genin status. It would look bad if my kids are the same rank as me."

Haru smirked at Kiyoko. "Bet I'll become jonin before you do."

Naruto hid a smile as Kiyoko tugged her hair in an attempt to cool down her temper. It wasn't doing her any good since her anger seemed to only grow the more she tried to suppress it. Haru's smug concealed the mischievous twitch that was always present when he poked fun at his sister.

"Urgh! I've had enough of you!" Kiyoko cried angrily as she stood abruptly. "You. Me. Outside. Right now! We'll see who's the better fighter." She huffed as she stormed towards the door.

Haru grinned, bristling with excitement. "Wanna watch?" He asked Naruto and the blonde just nodded.

He let Haru run off first before slowly making his way out. It was six in the morning and the Chuunin Exams didn't start until almost nine. However, as he walked out of the house, outside was brimming with life. It was bright and sunny and the birds were singing their morning songs merrily which they tended to do when perched near the blonde's home.

Since the house was closer to the woods than even the Nara's, wildlife leisurely launching out in the open was usual. Many animals came and left as they pleased. There was never any need to fear for danger. The culprit to this was Kurama. Since he was more beastly than human, he had the ability to connect with the creatures that roamed the woods. And because of the redhed, many animals there had made themselves the regulars who came when bored.

"Dad!" Kiyoko yelled as she ducked under a high kick. "Make sure you watch as I beat him!" Naruto grinned and cheered.

"Stop cheering for her or I'll start to believe that you're picking favorites." Haru's calm voice pierced through the loud _clangs_ as metal met metal.

Naruto smirked as two shadow clones popped into existence on either side of him. Clone One and Two immediately started cheering when they saw the scene in front of them. The original Naruto returned to watching the two with a proud grin.

"Did anyone ever tell you how much of a cheater you are, dad?" Kiyoko groaned as she flipped and threw a perfectly aimed kunai at her brother.

Haru blocked it easily, looking effortlessly cool in the process which only seemed to irritate his sister. "There's no such thing as fighting fair, sister." Haru mocked. "Never get it in your head that shinobi are honorable. They're not."

"I know that!" Kiyoko yelled, her amber eyes flashing angrily. She ran towards him and Haru rolled his eyes. He threw out a kick and spun around with another when the navy haired girl dodged his first kick. He wasn't surprised when she blocked his second kick. He expected that. He _was_ surprised when she jumped on him with her legs tightly wrapped around his waist.

"What are—" Haru's eyes widened when he saw her from his side view with a smirk and a hand seal ready. His eyes widened in in shock and dread when he realized his situation. He had underestimated her. He hadn't known that she'd already mastered the exploding clone technique.

The amber eyes girl activated the seal and watched with anxious anticipation. She was sure she took him by surprise. Her brother may be smarter and stronger than her but that didn't mean she couldn't surprise him occasionally. She grinned when the smoked cleared and she saw a tattered body.

"YES!" She fist pumped. She was too exhilarated to check on her brother's beaten body. She'd let her father handle that. "I'VE FINALLY BEAT YOU!" She shouted enthusiastically, jumping up and down.

And then it all happened quickly. Her brother was behind her without a single injury and the body in front of her melted into the ground. A kunai was held at her throat and she caught like a deer. She didn't dare move. "You haven't beaten me quite yet, dear sister." He whispered thickly with satisfaction. " You give?"

"How did you avoid my attack?" She snapped.

"Easy, I had a clone disguised as one of your weapons. I just switched."

"How'd you figure that I wouldn't have grabbed your clone during the fight?"

"It wouldn't have mattered." Haru snickered. "Even if you had grabbed my clone, it would've still been my win." Kiyoko pushed his arm away and hissed angrily.

Naruto, who was still standing in the sidelines, started to clap. He was proud of both of them. Many of the jutsu's they used were high classed ones, but Naruto and Kurama had taught them anyway.

" _As long as they have the chakra for it_." Kurama had said and the children had had more than just the chakra for them. They were a powerhouse, especially for ones so young.

"I'll drop you guys off and then I'll leave for my own exam."

It wasn't long before they were all ready. Kiyoko, unlike the other girls, didn't care much for her image. They left the house and Naruto was walking beside them cheerfully without his orange jumpsuit, which happened when his children were around. They caught him in it once and they'd immediately burnt it with Kurama's newly taught fire jutsu. Instead, he wore black pants, a simple white V- neck shirt and and a black jacket that he left open and his hair was left messy just as his kids liked it. The weather wasn't cold, but Naruto wore the jacket anyway. He was chatting happily with Kiyoko while Hau added his input once in awhile. Haru for the most part was just happy to listen to them.

"Wanna race?" Kiyoko suggested. "There's a shortcut through the woods we can use. It's really thick with foliage, though."

Naruto thought about it. It wouldn't hurt to try and it made him uncomfortable to walk through a crowded street. "Haru?"

"I'm fine with it." The boy answered with a nonchalant shrug.

The blonde heaved a sigh. " Lead the way then."

Less than five minutes later, they were in front of a bridge that lead to the entrance of the woods that Kiyoko had mentioned earlier. True to her words, the woods were really thick with a foliage. So much so that the sun barely passed through.

"Are we gonna do this or not?" Kiyoko spoke up after a moment of silence.

Reluctantly, Naruto nodded. "Just give me a sec—"

It took the blood a split second to realise that the person following them had just appeared before them. The aura of the man was familiar but Naruto didn't dwell on that when he had a kunari held at Haru's who'd pushed his sister away in the second it gave him to move.

"Don't move." the muffled voice hissed out. The man, if it even was, was covered from head to toe giving it no distinctivity. Naruto immediately froze.

"What do you want?" He asked as calmly as he could manage.

"Quit the Chuunin Exams." The mysterious shinobi demanded. Naruto gnashed his teeth together in agitation. He was only grateful that the man probably didn't know his full identity.

"Don't." Haru's serious voice said.

"Shut up, boy!" The foreign shinobi hissed, pressing the kunai harder into Haru's skin. "Quit the Chuunin Exams and I give you the boy back. It's simple."

"I won't let a some stupid shinobi like you bully my father into giving up on the Chuunin Exams!" Kiyoko hissed, her kunai out.

Naruto watched closely, and he caught the surprise in the shinobi's eyes. It was so familiar but the blonde couldn't pinpoint it. Nonetheless, he took advantage of the ninja's momentary distraction to throw a shuriken at him. The man dodged, dragging Haru with him. Despite the calm expression on Naruto's face, he was beside himself with worry and anxiety. The situation now was so close to his memories that he could barely focus.

"Dad," Haru called calmly, "He's not a match for you. I can take care of myself."

Kiyoko growled. "We've never seen you fight, dad. Show us what you can do so I can shove it in Haru's face that he got kidnapped and I didn't."

"I saved you, you dolt!" Haru shouted at her.

Naruto took in a deep breath. He was reassured now. Kiyoko and Haru had managed to calm him. He quickly gave his surroundings a quick assessment while spreading his aura. Haru, he knew was perfectly fine. He could take care of himself, but he wasn't, which meant that there was something Haru who was in close proximity to the man knew that Kiyoko and himself did not.

And Haru was acting really calm, almost too calm. Naruto mentally nodded. He relaxed and when the man also relaxed, he leaped into action—no, he disappeared into action, because when the man blinked, the blonde boy was gone and instead, reappeared at his side. It took all of the masked man's shinobi experience to block the critical it. And if he'd been a second too late, his arm should've been gone. The masked shinobi leaped back away, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, Naruto was there in front of him. He managed to block but he was momentarily stunned by the power and brute force behind the attack. The thing that kept flashing through the man's head, hours later, was how blank the boy looked. It was like unmarked paper without any drawing.

Naruto flipped over the man and grabbed the back of his collar, throwing him into a tree and breaking dozens in the process. During that moment, Haru took advantage of the man's arms loosening around him. He elbowed the the man and flipped away. In an instant, Naruto was beside him, graceful and deadly. "Go to your sister." Naruto commanded. The red haired boy didn't dare disagree.

And before Haru processed it, his father was already gone, instead appearing in front of the fallen shinobi. Haru, who actually did know something the moment he was grabbed, was worried. The man that attacked them was someone familiar, a teacher at the academy. He could smell the dusty smell of books and ink on him. And the overpower scent of sweat—not on his skin though—the kind that could only be acquired through direct contact like a hug from a student and from hours, days, and years of cultivating. Haru wasn't certain, though nor was he aware of the man's intent. That was why he didn't say anything nor reacted.

"Haru!" Kiyoko landed next to him silently. "Are you okay?"

Haru nodded absentmindedly. He was focused on the fight. Their father never actually fought in front of them, but he knew that their father was powerful. He could feel the power licking at them, emitting through him. It was overpowering, almost like their grandfather. And now he knew why their father didn't fight. The blonde was too intense, too strong. If a casual flick of his finger could be so destructive, what could a punch do?

Haru shivered.

Kiyoko left her brother to his obsessive thinking. Her brother thought a lot and that's where they differed. She didn't like to think. At all. It wasn't a very strong trait of hers. Don't get her wrong, she was smarter than the average human and she could work through problems faster than most of her classmates, but if she didn't have to think or use her brain, she'd rather not. She'd rather her body do the thinking for her.

And at this moment, she let her body do just that. She followed their father and she witnessed the whole thing. Their father's worry, and his fear and...his _strength_. She'd never known anyone to be that powerful or that fast. She literally could not follow his movements. And smite her if she were to be wrong, but she hesitantly thought that their father could be stronger than the Hokage. And the scary fact? Their father wasn't even using a tenth of his strength. And another scarier fact? He was only growing in his strength. He hadn't even reached his full potential yet.

Were they _ever_ going to be able to live up to his legend? His expectations? Before today, she knew their father was strong, powerful, but not this much.

She went closer to the scene. She'd left Haru back when he became unresponsive. There at the scene, their father stood above a green cloak. There was no body underneath. The only evidence that their father had fought were the destruction of the many fallen trees and the wildlife.

"He's gone?" She croaked.

Naruto turned. "He's alive." He answered her. His voice was quiet. "Let's go."

He gently grabbed Kiyoko's hand and lead her back to Haru who had sat down comfortably. His expectant eyes told them that he'd been waiting for them. Naruto gave his oldest child a look and when the red haired boy averted his eyes, Naruto knew for certain that his green eyed boy knew something.

The blonde sighed. "Off to school, you guys."

* * *

 **A/N: So, here we go. Lots of grammars. Lots of them. I don't have a beta so sorry. His team wasn't really there in this chapter. Hopefully the next one features them more. Also, Naruto, here is incredibly powerful, but he's held back a lot. As for what's holding him back, I think you guys can already guess and if not, then you can comment and tell me what you think.**

 **But yeah, do tell me what you thought. How was this chapter? Bad? Good? And yes, there are a lot of questions left unanswered. But hey, we're only at the beginning. Have fun! Enjoy the story! And tell me what you think by** **reviewing** **!**

 **Love you guys!**


	6. Chapter EXTRA!

**A/N:**

 **Sup! Finished with finals and ready to start the new semester. I hope that for those who have school are also passing their exams!**

 **Also, sorry for not really updating. Inspiration hits at random times. Sorry...**

 **STILL! ENJOY!**

 **Warning! Grammars, as always...**

 **Pairing: Not sure. Maybe implied ones?**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! Oh! This is something I've been meaning to ask. So, I know that a lot of authors put their disclaimers as, "I do not own Naruto," and there was something about plagiarism. Like, just because you say you don't own it doesn't mean you didn't plagiarized it, kind of thing. Cause I was scrolling through fanfiction and where an author made aware that somebody had been plagiarizing other writers' stories saying that it wasn't his/her story but never gave credit where it was actually due nor did she asked permission for it and there was a lot of controversial debate about it. Like fanfiction and disclaimers and stuff.**

 **My point is: is it alright that my disclaimer says, "I do not own Naruto?" Or should more be added to show that the Naruto world really isn't mine? Like, does this mean that I'm also plagiarizing or something?**

* * *

 **Leaving Behind**

 **Chapter EXTRA!**

Against his own will, Sasuke had been observing Naruto for awhile. It started right after they become a team. He'd been furious that he was saddled with two of the most annoying people to ever grace his life, but he'd dealt with it because he knew that it was crucial to getting stronger. Then they'd did the whole introduction with Kakashi and it was brief, but he thought he saw a flash of pain corrode those beautiful eyes of his blonde teammate. He'd shaken it off as a trick of the light, but he still looked every so often in case it wasn't just his imagination.

He didn't know why he was so curious. The blonde was a complete nuisance. He talked too loudly, ate messily, got under people's skin, and was a total and complete idiot. But Sasuke's eyes just wouldn't stray. It was as if he was in some kind of trance.

The first time that he met the blonde outside of team meetings was before their first C-rank mission. He'd just been wandering. He'd felt restless and nothing had calmed him down so, he had just let his feet do the walking while his mind glossed over everything else. If he'd been trailed or attacked at that moment, he wouldn't have even known. That was how distracted he'd been. Somewhere along the way, he'd caught onto an enticing smell and mindlessly followed it.

It led him to the poorer districts but he hadn't cared. With the delicious scent guiding him, he walked up the stairs, determined to find the owner. He was surprised to find that it was Naruto that greeted him at the door. That moment was when he'd made a conscious effort to observe Naruto.

The blonde boy was completely different from how he'd first perceived him to be. Instead of a boisterous, happy-go-lucky person, this one was a muted person that was gentle and understanding. Honestly, he'd been in shock. He didn't even register that the blonde could cook or that his food tasted like heaven. Better than anything his own mother made for him. Better than anything he'd ever tasted in his life.

The days after that, he was able to pick up on things he would've normally dismissed. Like how the blonde's eyes narrowed slightly at the puddle that was later revealed to be an enemy nin then acting boisterous again. Sometimes he'd catch a pinched expression the boy that he would've normally written off as the idiot thinking, but it wasn't till he sacrificed himself for the blonde that he recognized the expression as pain.

Then they'd come back to Konoha and the blonde went missing for three days, but he was distant way before that. The whole team went into a panic. Everything was canceled. Meetings, missions, trainings. _Everything_. The first place Sasuke had checked was the cramped apartment that belonged to the blue eyed boy.

It was empty.

They'd checked many places after that. Together and apart. Naruto was nowhere to be found. It was as if the blonde had never existed. There was not a single trace of the boy and for the first time since the massacre, Sasuke felt fear. He felt it so keenly that he had to take a moment to calm his nerves.

Naruto, the raven realized, was his pillar. Even though the blonde did nothing to warrant the irrational dependent feeling, Sasuke acknowledged that his consciousness picked the blonde as his support. For whatever reason, Sasuke wasn't sure. He just knew that without his support, he felt abandoned, weak, vulnerable, and very much scared. Of what, he wasn't sure.

Was it normal to depend so much on a person that going crazy was the only other option if the person was gone? Sasuke had never felt such an intense feeling like this before. It easily triumphed his anger and need for revenge. Even when Itachi left and betrayed him the worse way possible, Sasuke didn't feel even close to an ounce of what he was currently feeling.

Please, he had prayed, let Naruto be safe.

It was a relief when Naruto came back. He had almost collapsed on his knees. He swore that he'd keep as close to Naruto as acceptable, but he failed before he even started. Kakashi gave the blonde an impossible punishment that left Sasuke feeling empty and worried all over again.

A hundred laps around Konoha before three days ended, Kakashi had said. Sasuke knew that was an impossible task for a genin even if sometimes Naruto didn't act like one.

Sakura gave him a worried glance and Sasuke was tempted to knock their sensei senseless. He refrained.

Against his better judgement, he went and checked up on Naruto the second day. The sight was painful. The blonde's once radiant hair was damp with sweat and he looked ready to past out yet he kept on running. His bright eyes were dull and his expression was pinched. Unable to take it, Sasuke hurried home. The next morning, he left some water and food for the blonde to find and left again only to come back and find that nothing had been touched. He left dejectedly.

It wasn't even an hour into waking the next morning, when the raven heard the news of Naruto's capture. If the first time that Naruto disappeared was bad, this was worse. He was frozen stiff and was close to having a panic attack. He'd immediately blamed his sensei for the kidnapping. He didn't vocalize it, put Kakashi was observant enough to know that he was the target of Sasuke's ire during the five days that Naruto was gone. The Sandaime had refused to let Team Seven participate in finding Naruto. Nothing swayed the old man into saying yes. Five days without Naruto was torture and Sasuke could tell that it didn't just affect him. Sakura was just as affected by the kidnapping of Naruto.

The pinkette was quieter and more sullen and even though she tried to hide it, Sasuke knew that she felt guilty. When he'd been a part of the team, she hadn't treated him right. Not that Sasuke was any better in that department. Still, he wasn't that bad.

When Naruto escaped and came back to Konoha, Sasuke picked up on the changes immediately. Naruto had changed. The light had dimmed and the blonde looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was also much more serious, something that Sasuke thought he'd only see when they were together in private.

Call him selfish, but he felt jealous that the whole world was privy to what he thought was only shown to him. He caught the eye of the Hokage, who was staring straight at him and he saw pity in those aged eyes. The old man shifted his eyes to Naruto and Sasuke's own eyes widened at the Hokage's expression. He saw pain and sadness in those brown orbs. The old man looked like someone had ripped his heart and stepped on it without a care.

Sasuke followed the Sandaime's gaze to the blonde who was recounting the story of his escape with excitement that didn't quite match him. The raven's heart dropped painfully when he realized what the Hokage meant. Sasuke lowered his eyes before anyone else caught on, before rising it up to meet the Hokage's again. The pity was there as the old man realized that Sasuke caught on to what he was trying to express. The emotion reflected on the brown orbs were achingly familiar. If Sasuke had a mirror, he was pretty that his expression looked the exact same as the Hokage.

He turned away from the Hokage and looked at Naruto. The blonde was distant, Sasuke could see that now. There weren't ever any real feelings on the whiskered boy's expression. The raven had thought that Naruto was close to everybody, but he'd been fooled, just like the many others that thought they knew Naruto. He could see it now what he could never see before.

The blonde was a presence that no one could ignore. People gravitated to him likely moths to a flame. Never once did they realize that the blonde didn't feel the same. He kept a distance with everyone and they were none the wiser. Everyone thought that they had a piece of Naruto's heart—that blonde's heart was big enough to accommodate them. They were wrong. Naruto never once trusted them or put his belief on them. He'd never once considered them as friends or even acquaintances. Never once did he rely on them.

Oddly enough, it hurt Sasuke more than anything ever had to come to the realization that Naruto never even saw him as a rival, much less a comrade. He'd been so dependent on Naruto that he believed he'd go crazy if the blonde were to disappear from his life, yet if Sasuke disappeared, it would make no difference to Naruto.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm not happy with this but I couldn't tear it off either. So just consider it an extra that isn't really a part of the story. It's poorly written...**

 **Watch out for GRAMMARS!**

 **Still tell me what you think, though.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

 **Sorry that I didn't keep true to my word. I know that it feels like I'm such an unreliable person, but I'm still sorry. I will try to update often to make up for it.**

 **Also, for the polls thing about interviewing characters of this story, only one person reviewed about it so I don't think that we'll be doing any type of interviewing. It's such a shame though...you could've asked anything and you'd actually have some form of answer.**

 **BUT! I'm going to keep the poll open for two more days, and if people are just not interested, then no interviews.**

 **STILL! ENJOY!**

 **Warning! Grammars, as always...**

 **Pairing: Not sure. Maybe implied ones?**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO AND I AM NOT MAKING ANY MONEY FROM THIS. NARUTO STRICTLY BELONGS TO MASASHI KISHIMOTO.**

* * *

 **Leaving Behind**

 **Chapter Five**

Naruto had not expected a written exam.

Nor did he expect for so many competitors to pass the exam.

It was fairly easy to see through the actual test. However, the blonde did admit that he stumbled upon the answer quite coincidently. He'd been thinking why a written exam would ever be needed out of a shinobi when he realized the irony of a shinobi given a test that stopped them from cheating when he remembered thinking how weird the proctor had phrased his wordings. Ibiki had said that anyone caught cheating would immediately be called out which wasn't all that suspicious. Many instructors usually say that before an exam, but the Chuunin Exam was all about taking risks. Many people came with the knowledge that death was a very possible outcome, and for people that thought that way...would they shirk at a little cheating?

Probably not, Naruto sighed getting a headache all of a sudden. They were shinobi and they weren't honorable fellows. There was always a shadow to their light. Asking them not to cheat was like asking a fish to live on land. It was incomprehensible. More than that, it was impossible.

The blonde already knew what he needed to do, but he was uncertain. He knew how to correctly answer most of the questions. However, it was also crucial that he look like an idiot, but would being an idiot allow for his team to pass? He wasn't certain at the many possibilities that awaited him and as much as he wished he was privy to such information, he was not. It was well known around Konoha that he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, which meant that if he correctly answered questions that he wasn't supposed to be able to figure out, that would raise a few unwanted questions.

Trying to buy time, the blonde boy looked at his test questions. They were certainly hard—hard enough that even a small portion of the current jounin force may not be able to solve, but he was certain he could answer a few of them correctly, if not more. He was taught many things when he'd stayed with Aki and from then on, he only furthered his own education.

Scratching his head, he pulled at the soft strands angrily. Time was running out and he needed to make his decision soon. No one else would be looking at his paper except the proctor, but he didn't trust the proctor nor did he trust the white haired genin that smelled of a diseased snake that called himself Kabuto. Yet, the possibility of failing wasn't all that appealing. He had a lot riding on a single exam.

"Naruto-kun," A soft voice whispered from his right. The blonde turned. "You can copy mine." The girl, Hinata, the blonde could faintly recall, was a shy and soft-spoken girl. He was surprised that she was willing to help him despite the fact that they were in different teams. Admittedly, it wasn't the question on the papers he was having trouble with.

"Thank you." He said, flashing her a smile, "but I'm alright."

Turning back to his papers, the blonde took a deep breath. The written portion was two hours of their time, in which case, Haru and Kiyoko would've already graduated.

Naruto smirked. It wouldn't hurt to use his clone as a substitute, would it?

…

The blonde rushed towards the academy and fumbled with the blood red obi he had around his waist. He had chosen a red yukata embroidered with a sakura tree from the bottom and its petals flying up to his chest. His hair was down, creating a messy look that drew more attention than Naruto had wanted. His cerulean blue eyes popped out even more with his choice of clothing, giving him an unintended smoldering look. The blonde wasn't going to wear something so casual as a _yukata_ , but at the moment, it was the easiest thing to put on. He had wanted to go with something more formal to show Haru and Kiyoko how big the moment was for him, but he didn't have the time to put it on. He had to switch back with his clone in less than an hour.

With a roll of his ocean-like eyes, he finally managed to get the obi tied correctly. Honestly, Naruto thought as he drew the eye of an older women that was giving him a flirty look, they didn't give him that much attention when his hair was held back by his hitai-ate and his body covered in an orange jumpsuit! Did he look _that_ different? With a snort, Naruto ignored the looks of adoration that was sent his way. He couldn't say it didn't make him feel smug or even a little bit good, but it stung a little that no one bothered to look past the outer appearance.

When he arrived outside of the academy, many parents were already littered there along with their child. Some had proud tears streaming down faces while others had disapproving looks. A few parents were comforting their child, encouraging them to do better next time. It was a wonderful sight to see and it warmed the blonde's heart to see how parents cared for their children. With a small smile, blue eyes scanned the crowd eagerly for the familiar faces of Haru and Kiyoko. He was disappointed when he couldn't spot them. He knew that they were close to him. He could feel their chakra resonating with his own.

Figuring that they might still be inside, Naruto walked towards a swing set and sat down. The little playground brought many memories of the academy days. Both good ones and bad ones. He'd never been accepted by his fellow students, and they made sure that he knew that by being extra cruel with him.

"Excuse me." The blonde looked up and saw a nervous woman with short brown hair hovering over him. She had a hesitant look and she had a little girl beside her that was an exact copy of herself, albeit much younger and with longer hair. "Are you waiting for your siblings?"

Naruto frowned at her. "No, I'm waiting for my son and my daughter."

The woman gave him a shocked look that made Naruto itch in annoyance. "B-but you're so young! You can't be much older than my own daughter!" She gestured to her daughter who was looking at Naruto with stars in her eyes.

"Daddy!" The blonde shifted his eyes towards the voice and smiled before turning back to the woman and giving her a polite tilt of his head.

"Excuse me." He said as he walked towards Kiyoko's excited form. His daughter didn't wait for him to reach her before she flung herself on him. With a smile, Naruto wrapped his arms around her and swung her around.

"I'm a genin!" She yelled excitedly when she finally let go of him, waving the hitai-ate in the air like a trophy. "I got called before Haru did, but I passed the exam! I'm the top kunoichi of my year!" She was jumping now, unable to contain the joy running through her body.

Naruto laughed at her enthusiasm. He was happy even if a part of him was filled with dread. He never wanted them to become shinobi, but they made their choice and they not only did well, they excelled because the blonde knew for a fact that if Kiyoko passed the exam, then it was with clear certainty that Haru also passed. They had worked hard to get at where they were. Since they started at the academy, they've never once lazed around nor did they slack off at their training.

"I'm proud of you." He told her sincerely. Kiyoko grinned.

"Of course—"

"Dad, I passed, too." A distinct voice whined behind Naruto. When the blonde turned, he was met with messy red hair, bright green eyes, and a playful pout. "I did better than Kiyoko." Naruto grinned and went in for a hug that the redhead immediately returned.

"It was even!" Kiyoko hissed at the red tufts of hair that was the only visible part of Haru. "We both got a ten out of ten on the practical exam and a hundred on the written exam and—"

"Yes, but mine was much more accurate and consistent while yours wasn't and I finished my written exam waaaaay before you did. The only reason you got out first was because they called your name to perform the—"

"We had the same score!"

Haru pulled away from the blonde and shrugged. "So?" He flashed his father a smile before giving his sister a bored look. "That's not what matters in real life. Truth is, I'd be able to cause more damage than you simply because I can throw faster than you and with much more accuracy and dad, people are staring at you."

The blonde gave his surroundings a glance and people were indeed staring. Whether they were looking at him or his family's dynamic was lost on Naruto. It could very well be because he had two kids calling him 'daddy' when he didn't look old enough to be one, or it could be the way he dressed, or it could even be how odd the three of them looked together, but the blonde chose to ignore it. He had better things to do than analyze the mortified look on people's faces.

"You're not studying to become a hunter-nin." The girl replied with an eye roll.

"Don't be jealous, dear sister. Dad will still love you no matter how talentless you are."

Naruto smiled as he watched the exchange between brother and sister. They'd always had a rivalry with each other. He didn't know why or what started it, but it was amusing to watch. It was clear that Haru had Kiyoko beat verbally and physically, but the amber eyed girl was still the only person that could get under the green-eyed boy's skin.

"I'm very proud of you, Haru." Naruto whispered with a grin as he ruffled the younger boy's hair. "It won't be long before you become a chuunin."

"Hey!" Kiyoko cried indignantly. "How about me?"

"You'll never become chuunin." The red haired boy stuck his tongue out at her playfully.

The blonde shook his head and lightly tapped the green-eyed brother's nose in reprimand. "You'll become a chuunin in record time also, my dear." He reassured his daughter. "Now, what do you two want as a reward?"

Brother and sister looked at each other. They sported an uncertain look that made Naruto curious. What were they going to request for? Haru's bright eyes hardened in determination and Kiyoko nodded. The blonde bit his lip nervously. It wasn't going to be something he liked, was it?

"Can…" Kiyoko spoke quietly, looking at the ground while Haru looked at his dad with a resolute expression, challenging his father to oppose his decision—whatever it was. "Can we meet your teammates?"

Naruto's heart dropped. He was hoping to keep his teammates as far away from his kids as possible. They were a disaster waiting to happen. It was going to be a fact that Kiyoko would not like Sakura and the way he allowed the pinkette to treat him. It was going to be a natural disaster just waiting to happen because if Kiyoko didn't like someone, she wasn't going to keep silent about it.

Then there was the orange jumpsuit he wore on a regular basis. They still didn't know about it, nor did they know about his idiotic personality. The first thing that Haru would demand would be to burn the orange eyesore and anything that Haru demanded was usually seen to. Then his boy would have an issue with every member of Team Seven. Especially his sensei.

It was a bad habit, but Haru usually looked down on people, which made many people see him as a snobby child. And if both children had a problem with his teammates then they were bound to cause quite a stir and it was not limited to insults or pranks.

Honestly, it was best if the two parts of his life never met each other.

"Well?" Haru asked. "Can we meet them?"

Naruto blinked rapidly, trying to find a way out of the situation. "Hypothetically," the blonde started with a wince, "what would you guys do if I refused?" He received two confused stare. "J-just hypothetically, of course!" He stammared.

Haru frowned and gave his sister a look. "Then we would spy on you."

"Or trail you and then introduce ourselves." Kiyoko added.

"And what if hypothetically, I never talked to them about you two?" Both children narrowed their eyes in suspicion.

"Do you not want us to meet your teammates, dad?" Haru bluntly asked.

Naruto inwardly winced. He was at a dilemma. He knew that eventually, the two parts of his life would surface and everyone would know, but he hoped that it would still be a long way off. However, would it be better for them to meet each other now or later?

"I—" Naruto stopped and snapped his head up. His clone had just popped and a rush of memories assaulted him. Images of large trees, and dense wildlife flashed. Brief images of Sasuke and Sakura, then of a large snake. Dread filled him as he realized the consequence of his actions. "I have to go." He whispered urgently to Haru and Kiyoko. He grabbed both their shoulders and gave them a serious look. "Get home and don't wander, do you two understand?"

Scared, both nodded quickly. Relieved, Naruto sent them on their way as he rushed towards the direction of the Forbidden Forest. He'd only created one shadow clone and now that it had popped, Naruto couldn't replace himself with it. He had to sneak into the exams and hoped that he reached his team on time before some disaster tried its luck with them.

The blonde sent a pulse of chakra as he reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. There were about five ANBU scouring the area, but they were a decent distance from him. Naruto took a step, before immediately stopping again. In his rush, he almost didn't notice the seal embedded on a tree. It was a seal that stopped any intruders from bypassing the perimeter without permission.

Naruto gritted his teeth. There were four ways to disable the seal. The first was to get whoever created it to disable it. However, that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon. The second was to break the seal—hack it in a sense, but this option took the most time because if Naruto made even a single mistake, it would immediately emit electricity and create a force field around the perimeter it guarded and it would stay that way till the creator disables it, which brought him back to the first option. The third option was to grab a key that was no doubt given to every ANBU to allow entrance, but that would cause unwanted attention. The fourth option was to overload the seal with enough chakra to cause it to collapse on itself, but it needed a lot of chakra since it depended on the area it covered and if Naruto's guess was correct, then the seal was put all around the edge of the Forbidden Forest. That would mean _a lo_ t of chakra, but that was also the easiest option since it took less time and less hassle, provided you have the chakra to spare for it.

Naruto looked into the forest. He could feel the restlessness among the ANBU. Their chakra was erratic and hostile which meant that whatever was in there with the examiners was more than just dangerous. His teammates were in there with it and he needed to get there as soon as possible. He had no time to spare.

Decision made, the blonde pressed his hand against the seal and pushed a vast amount of chakra in. Sweat beaded down his brows as he continued to push in more chakra. Slowly, the seal dissipated and left a scorch mark where Naruto's hand rested. Panting, the blonde rushed towards the feel of his team's chakra signature. Every second that passed by felt like an eternity. On his way, Naruto saw a few genin teams, but none tried to chase after him and the blonde was grateful for that. He didn't have time to deal with them.

When he arrived at the scene, all Naruto felt was anger. Sakura was on a branch further behind Sasuke, frozen in fear at the malicious aura that permeated through the air. Sasuke was knelt on a branch, in the same condition as Sakura, but the only difference was that he was trying to break free of the heavy chakra pressed on him.

Standing in front of the last Uchiha was a pale women with long hair that smelled of sickness and death. Her snake like eyes were full of amusement and desire. Desire of what, Naruto wondered as he landed next to Sasuke. In a single action, he grabbed a kunai from Sasuke and leaped towards the enemy nin. He faintly registered the surprise on the woman's face, but he ignored it.

The blonde missed his target as she flipped back and instead, stabbed the ground in a kneeling position. Naruto took a deep breath and slowly rose up. He flooded the immediate area with his chakra, awakening Sasuke and Sakura from their frozen state.

"Who are you?" The blonde hissed angrily towards the enemy nin. His hair was standing on end, telling—warning him that the shinobi standing in front of him was _dangerous_.

"Kukuku…" The nin smirked. "What do we have here? A comrade?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and without giving a glance back, he asked, "Sasuke, who is the nin?"

Breathing heavily, Sasuke pushed himself up and studied the newcomer in front of him intently. The blonde boy in a red yukata looked familiar—sounded familiar too. How did he know who Sasuke was? If only he got a glimpse of his face then maybe all the pieces would fall in place. "She calls herself Orochimaru." He finally answered.

"Orochimaru?" The name was thrown out with deliberate anger. "You are one of the Sannin?"

Sasuke saw a flicker of surprise register in the enemy nin's eyes before it was covered with the same look of amusement that made Sasuke beyond frustrated, but he didn't dwell on that. If what the newcomer said was correct then they were fighting one of the Legendary Sannin and Sasuke was more than happy to have help even if it killed his ego a bit. Now, if only Naruto made his way back then Sasuke was sure that they had at least a small chance of escape, if not more. He had an ally in the blonde boy, no matter how much it irked him to admit such a thing, but the raven haired boy could tell that the newcomer was a force to be reckoned with. He only hoped that the boy was as strong as he looked.

Sasuke grabbed a kunai from his pouch and crouched in a fighting position. He realized what a fool he was when all he could think about was giving up against a stronger opponent. In some cases, you may not be able to leave unscathe even after you offer all the information they want. Not that Sasuke was sure he'd do that, but there would come a time when he'd be faced with that same decision and Sasuke would learn from his mistakes.

The last Uchiha observed as Orochimaru egged the newcomer on only for it to fall onto deaf ears. Before the snake-looking nin could utter another taunt, in flurry of red flashes, the blonde boy attack from all sides. The speed and precision of the attacks left the raven haired boy in awe. Even with his Sharingan out, he still couldn't see the movements. He could tell that Orochimaru was starting to feel flustered, if the deep cut on the Sannin's face was anything to go by.

To quick for the eye to catch, Orochimaru was flying into trees with pain overtaking the Sannin's feminine features. Slumped, the snake-like nin was helpless to block the kunai that flew straight towards her eyes. Then suddenly, the newcomer was beside Sasuke, stealing another kunai and crouched defensively. Sasuke turned, ready to berate the boy for not coming prepared to a battlefield when his words got caught up in his throat and his eyes widen astonishment.

"Nar-Naruto?" He whispered incredulity. He was met with bright blue eyes that couldn't be compared with any earthly treasures. The blonde tresses that was always held back by a hitai-ate was let down, and the never ending orange jumpsuit that accompanied the blonde wherever he went was gone and instead, a blood red yukata filled with the petals of sakura blossoms took its place among the beautiful, red canvas, making his blue eyes pop out even more in its brilliant shade of blue.

Naruto was _really_ good looking.

Why wasn't the blonde in his orange jumpsuit garb? When did he have the time to change?

Then all of a sudden, Sasuke was hit with the realization that this was a part of Naruto that he wasn't privy to. Yet, the idea behind the reason of Naruto's horrible fashion sense and his fashion sense now, just didn't quite connect. Why did the blonde dress with such offensive colors that demeaned him rather than flatter him? Then offhandedly, where were Naruto's weapons? What the hell happened when the blonde got separated from them? And when did the blonde get so strong? Was he always this strong or did something else happen in the past few months that they've been a team?

Who was Naruto?

"Sasuke," The boy that looked like Naruto spoke, because the raven still couldn't quite believe that that was Naruto yet, "grab Sakura and run. Don't look back no matter what!" The raven stared, too flabbergasted to comprehend what the blonde was ordering him to do. " _Go_ , Sasuke!"

Instinctively, the raven obeyed. He grabbed a frozen Sakura and headed opposite of Orochimaru. We have to get help, Sasuke thought as he jumped from branch to branch.

"Sasuke-kun isn't going anywhere." I slippery voice chuckled darkly as the last Uchiha disappeared from view. "He and I are the same. We both strive for power and that goal cannot be accomplished in a village that hides its darkest under the cover of the light." Orochimaru hissed. The nin was shedding now, looking more male-like with yellow snake-like eyes, long black hair that went straight down, and a creepy smile.

The blonde didn't deign the man with a response, instead, he went for the snake-like man's throat. Orochimaru blocked it and they exchanged a few blows where Naruto managed glancing injuries. They weren't serious at first glance, but it was deeper than the eye could see. Naruto had channeled his wind chakra into the kunai, making it sharper and deadlier than the regular ones.

"You're smart." Orochimaru smiled as he licked blood off his fingers. "How about joining me? You are Konoha's jinchuuriki, correct?" Naruto frowned. "They can't treat you well here. Come with me and you'll never have to suffer again." The man whispered coaxingly like the blonde was a bad child in need of guidance.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. He knew better than to believe the words of a traitor and with first hand experience, the blonde now knew why so many fell victim to the man's poisonous words. Hands raised, Naruto summoned pure chakra. He disappeared and reappeared behind the androgynous man, slammed the ball of energy on the snake man's back and flipped backwards.

The blonde had avoided most of Orochimaru's hits, but he was already tiring. He'd spent most of his chakra breaking the seal, already. He was starting to see black spots at the edges of his vision which meant that soon, he'd be in too much pain to even lift a finger. He didn't have much longer…

Slamming the pure and condensed chakra into the man would only help him so much. If Orochimaru managed through the pain of two chakra systems fighting for dominance inside his body, then Naruto wasn't sure what to do. Even now, he was starting to feel his arms beginning to feel heavier and his legs locking together. His chest was closing in, making him work extra hard for the much needed oxygen and his vision was starting to fade in and out.

Shaking his head, Naruto focused on the scream the cut through the air. The Sannin was kneeling on the floor with a murderous look aimed towards the blonde's still form. "What did you do to me?!" The snake man bit out in between anguished screams.

"I gave you my chakra." The blonde answered simply. "Since I'm not a medic nin, I can't change my chakra to match yours. The pain you are feeling is just your chakra fighting against mine."

Naruto tightened his hold on the kunai and imbued it with his wind element. Faster than Orochimaru could react, the kunai was lodged deep in his heart. "I could've...saved you…" Orochimaru gasped out as he fell to the ground.

As soon as Naruto deemed that the threat was over, he collapsed on his knees and threw up. Looking down with blurry vision, the blonde could see a sticky, red substance on his hand. Head ringing, the blonde boy tried to grab onto any kind of anchor to keep the pain at bay, only to reach the quickly cooling hands of the man he had just killed.

"I'm...sorry…" Naruto whispered to the corpse, feeling wet, hot tearings streaming down his cheeks. " _I'm_... _sorry_ …" With a final sigh, the world collapsed on him and everything was black.

* * *

 **A/N: So I'm not sure why Naruto is apologizing. It's as much of a mystery to me as it is to you, but if you think you know why he apologized, leave a review and give me an insight on your thoughts and opinions. SORRY FOR THE GRAMMARS! I KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT!**

 **Ahh! Interview poll! Two more days open! Pick a character and ask your question on the review.**

 **REVIEW and tell me what you THOUGHT!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:**

 **READ AND ENJOY!**

 **Warning! Grammars, as always...**

 **Pairing: Not sure. Maybe implied ones?**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO AND I AM NOT MAKING ANY MONEY FROM THIS. NARUTO STRICTLY BELONGS TO MASASHI KISHIMOTO.**

 **ALSO, I want REVIEWS!**

 **Now then, enjoy!**

 **Leaving Behind**

* * *

Chapter Six

Kurama looked up. He wasn't sure what overcame him, but he felt a chill like none other crawling down his spine. It was a warning of sorts—telling him that there was some unforeseen danger. He wasn't sure what kind, but he just knew that it would involve his kit. Everything bad involved his kit. Still, he hoped that the blondie was safe. He wanted to do nothing more than rush to his side, but he had his own worries. He had things he needed to uncover and being by Naruto's side would only hinder his mission.

Still, how he wished to see the small, content smile of his kit and the ruckus that accompanied his grand-kits. He wanted to make it to their graduation, but he knew better than to go back. He'd never leave and that couldn't happen. Konoha didn't have the answers he needed. He wasn't sure if anywhere had the answers he needed, but he still needed to try. This was the only way to give him the peace he needed and he owed it to Naruto to at least try.

Kurama stood up. He was busy inspecting an Uzumaki tablet when he had felt that uncontrollable chill. The first place he had gone to was Uzushiogakure, the origin of Naruto's ancestors, but all he found were ruins. He remembered the place being of great beauty once, bustling with powerful people that exuded power with every step. The Uzumakis were a powerful bunch that only grew in strength. They never faltered in their convictions.

Uzushiogakure, the homeland of the Uzumakis, was once a powerful ninja village full of powerhouses, renowned for their enormous chakras that could rival even a tailed beast. They were a clan of impossibilities. There was not a single thing out of their reach and many shinobi villages feared them for their power. If they wanted to, they could obtain immortality, yet, not once did an Uzumaki attempt such a thing.

It was a curious thing.

Still, no matter how powerful they were, it was not enough against a joint invasion. The clan had children, civilian, and elders to protect. It was a shame that the village fell. The secrets that the Uzushiogakure village kept also died with their protectors and all Kurama had as hints were stoned tablets that have withered away with age long ago.

The once great library was gone—nowhere to be found and the fox found it frustrating. When the village was destroyed, no one was sure what happened to the libraries and tombs of knowledge that the Uzushiogakure village was well-known for. Records stated that no shinobi had burnt it down, so it should've still existed, except that it was nowhere to be found. Perhaps a seal had destroyed its contents when they were under an attack as the last defense in case shinobi villages used it for their own self-gain, Kurama thought. Yet, the fox found that highly unlikely. The knowledge that was contained in a single scroll was enough to destroy nations, but the shinobi world was still in relative peace. Also, no one except an Uzumaki (or someone ancient like him) could decipher its writings. It was coded specifically so that even if it fell into the wrong hands, information couldn't be gleaned off of it.

However, it was also likely that a shinobi village did actually have it, but unable to decipher its contents even till this day, but Uzumaki's usually planned for everything. They weren't arrogant people—actually, they were very humble and down to earth like his kit not that they didn't have a dangerous side. They may look warm and cheerful—someone you could trust instantly, but that was to cover their cunning and calculating personality that was always present. Don't get the old fox wrong, they weren't cold-hearted or anything of that sort, but they were always ready to adapt to the slightest change.

So, if they were ready for something like an invasion, was it planned that they'd let themselves get eradicated? Or maybe it was something else? They were extremely powerful, even Kurama, the great and mighty fox, was defeated in the face of an Uzumaki...was it that they were betrayed?

Uzushiogakure was an isolated village with its only alliance being Konohagakure at the time. They've maintained their relationship for a long time and it was proven time and time again that Konoha shinobi were honorable towards their comrades and trustworthy. Yet, Konoha ninja still hadn't been able to get access to the Uzushiogakure library, not even Uzumaki Mito who was originally from Uzushiogakure.

Something just wasn't adding up with the destruction of the Whirlpool Village.

Kurama needed the library, but he was eighty percent sure that no other village had their hands on it. Call it a gut instinct, if you will, but the fox didn't think that the Uzumakis would let such destructive knowledge fall into the hands of self-serving and greedy ninjas. Which meant, the only other option was that it was destroyed as a countermeasure, but since a few Uzumaki roamed the Shinobi Nation, then there must've been a slim chance that their predecessors had kept the library intact and preserved till a time came when a child of theirs would come back to claim their legacy.

So did that mean he needed an Uzumaki?

The redhead stabbed his spear into the hard ground and started wandering for any hints that may point him towards the library's location.

The Uzumakis were renowned for many things; power, beauty, riches, skill, talent, conviction, longevity...but what made the other villages want to attack them. It was a fact that Uzushiogakure never participated in wars unless it was retribution for one of their own and not even their ally, Konoha, managed to persuade them otherwise. They were firm about that, but the shinobi villages didn't attack them just because they were powerhouses. Kurama knew that for a fact. It should've been an incentive, but it wasn't otherwise an attack on the Village Hidden by Whirling Tides would've happened way before.

Absentmindedly, Kurama's red eyes spotted a swirl on a boulder. Their clan symbol, the fox thought as realization dawned on him, and their _seal_!

Sealing, that was what made the Uzumaki a force to be reckoned with and why so many shinobi villages feared them. They could create seals on the fly without fearing the repercussions that most Sealers faced. They were naturally gifted in that area. Kurama had almost forgotten since he rarely saw Naruto drawing up seals.

Alright then, the fox smirked, he could work with that. He may not know much about seals, but he knew how to break them.

Confidently, he walked towards the swirl and knelt in front of it. Summoning a large, condensed amount of chakra on his palm, he pushed it towards the swirl. He didn't slam the ball on it, but he didn't need to. The seal was already sucking up the chakra greedily like a parched man in the middle of the desert. Fascinated, he watched as the tendrils of energy were siphoned off towards the center of the seal. Unlike what most seals looked like, this one was different. It didn't have any squiggly lines or dots. It was just a swirl.

As the ball of chakra quickly dissipated, the swirls retreated into each other and invisible symbols appeared all around the retreating swirl till it formed a perfect circle with only a single bold dot remaining in the middle. Pushing himself up, he waited. Slowly, the stone sunk down, making an awful lot of noise in the process; the grinding of age-old rocks. As the boulder completely disappeared into the ground, a domino effect happened. Other boulders, insignificant ones that no one would've thought twice about, started sinking also and as each bounder sunk, the ground on which he was standing on started to shake and rise till he was able to make out the ocean in the distance.

When it stopped, he realized that he'd been standing on top of the library the whole entire time! The library wasn't in a temple or a building, it was underground! This way why the library was so hard to find! The mechanics of it could elude anyone since the seal was so inconspicuous that not even a genius would've taken notice. It wasn't like the Uzumaki symbol was only on this single stone, though this stone was the only stone where the symbol wasn't faded. It was the perfect disguise since no one would've suspected a thing!

Feeling giddy, he flipped back and gracefully landed on a jutted out rock. There were about five rows of hideously large shelves that were packed with colorful books, scrolls, and unorganized parchments. Kurama grabbed an orange scroll that managed to give rise to his curiosity and quickly unrolled it. He was surprised to find that there were no seals preventing him from opening it, but he decided not to question the good graces of the deceased as his eyes hungrily scanned the thin parchment.

 _To: An Uzumaki Descendant or Kyuubi-sama,_

 _Kurama's eyebrows rose to his hairline. Him? It was addressed to either him or a descendant? Why? How did they foresee this kind of circumstance? Confused, he hurriedly scanned the letter._

 _I am Uzumaki Daichi, the current clan head, and leader of Uzushiogakure Village. At the moment, we're saged by three shinobi villages and one unknown village hiding in the shadows. Our village holds many secrets, I know. Perhaps that is why we are being attacked, but I've written this letter to two people or (beast) of possibilities. One is to a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, whoever you may be and the other is Kyuubi-sama since only these two can open the library which unfortunately does not extend to Mito since in all technicality, she is no longer an Uzumaki. She broke the Uzumaki's sacred law by aiding her husband in sealing the nine-tailed bijuu._

 _Fortunately, the law doesn't apply to any of her descendants, though, I apologize if you are one of her descendants._

 _Now, If you are an Uzumaki descendant, I am first and foremost very sorry. We weren't strong enough. We couldn't protect you and I'm sorry for the decisions that we will make starting from this night forward. I'm sorry for the wasted opportunities that could've happened, but never will. You won't get to meet your parents, or grandparents, or even your siblings. I can't apologize enough for that. In one night, I've taken away everything from you because I'm too stubborn to compromise._

There were dry tear stains. Kurama could imagine the man crying while writing this very letter. It was truly heartbreaking and Kurama couldn't even begin to guess how terrible the man must've felt.

 _However, since you've come here, you are probably looking for an explanation. I won't give you one. You'll probably come to learn who has attacked Uzushiogakure, but not the one who was helping in the shadows and I won't tell you because as an Uzumaki, you have the power to either completely destroy or protect and I don't want you to choose the former action. I know how selfish this is, but that's my decision and I have to live with it. I'm happy even if you don't protect anybody. Just live life for yourself, but I know that it won't happen. We Uzumakis never just live ordinary lives. Fate hates us too much to allow for that to happen._

 _Now, this library holds vast amounts of knowledge and not all of it is good. I don't know how you'll use the knowledge that I've given you, but I hope you don't use it for ill will. You are better than that and I must stress out that we don't want to be avenged. I—we, just want you to live your life happily without the Uzumaki name weighing you down._

 _I have so much to say and not enough time to write it all down, but I think you deserve to know who would've been your leader if things hadn't taken a turn for the worse;_

 _I am Daichi and I'm twenty-three years old. My father was too lazy to keep the title of head so he passed it over to me as soon as I managed to defeat him in mock combat. MOCK combat, people! The position of leadership isn't like other villages where it's passed to the most deserving and strongest shinobi. Ours is passed through the family. I have one child currently and her name is Kushina and if this is you reading this Kushina, daddy is sorry. I hope you find happiness and meet the love of your life. Don't choose someone that smokes or drinks. Choose someone that challenges you and supports you because Kami knows how we Uzumakis are!_

 _My favorite food is oyakodon. My favorite color is orange. My biggest dream is to protect my village and my loved ones. I failed that one...I have an older brother, but he wants nothing to do with clan matters. He left to travel as soon as he was able to beat my father. I haven't seen him since. Be safe brother! I also have a younger brother who's just turned seventeen. He followed my aniki's footsteps. I don't know if these two being gone is a blessing in disguise or a curse._

 _This is all I have the time for._

 _Kyuubi-sama, if this is you, please push a little bit of your chakra into the seal below. Thank you!_

The fox blinked rapidly. This man was his kit's grandfather. Kurama felt guilty for being privy to the letter when his kit wasn't. Still, why was the part written to the man's descendants free for the redhead to read through, but not his own part? Did the man have something to tell him that his descendants couldn't know? Tracing the old parchment and the dried tear stains, Kurama numbly pushed his chakra through and words started to appear.

 _Kyuubi-sama._

 _You are probably wondering why I wrote a letter to you. I don't know when you'll receive this letter or if you'll even receive it, but I wrote one just in case._

 _The only reason you'd be reading this letter would be if you are out of your cage and you're on friendly terms with your host and you need information. I know what you are looking for and I'm sorry to destroy what little hope resides in you, but there's no cure that I know of. It's not really a disease or even a curse..._

The redhead's eyes widened. What did this mean? Daichi already knew why he was here? Feeling compelled to finish the letter, Kurama read on. The man may not have a cure, but maybe there were hints.

 _Well, I suppose you can describe it as a curse, but not really. This sort of thing is unpredictable and sporadic. Genetics aren't even factored in, but then again, it only surfaces in Uzumakis so... It starts slowly then it hits hard. It happened to an Uzumaki over a century ago and he didn't even live to see his twentieth birthday. He died when he turned seventeen. Your host will probably meet the same fate and you don't have long. This library holds no records on it and I know that was what you were counting on._

 _However, I won't leave you here with a broken heart. Kami knows that's all I've done since I started this letter. I have a lead—kind of. I've investigated this matter and pursued every little clue that managed to make it to my ears. I didn't want to face the same possibility that my child may have the same type of problem or even a grandchild of mine. I won't be there, but at least I can give some hints even from beyond the grave._

Kurama ignored the pounding of his heart. There was a hint! That was better than where he was at. He had absolutely nothing.

 _There is a plant and it's abundant right now in my time. I'm not sure about yours, but it's never been tested since no Uzumaki has had that problem in over a century. It's called the 'Blood Plant' and it goes by many names and has many myths. It's a blood red flower that looks like it's formed completely out of blood and it's dreadfully beautiful. You can't ever mistake it once you've laid eyes on it. It's rumored among the Uzumaki clan that it cures any kind of infliction. Maybe it'll help your host._

 _But as I said, it's never been tested since, well...Uzumakis have never needed it._

 _However, if it's no longer abundant, then go to the Uchiha clan. Maybe they have it there. They have a way of growing the plant even with its set condition. But before you start looking for this plant, I want to warn you. This is just a myth among my clan...and this flower is probably a cursed existence. I've done my research and I've noticed that at times of peace, this flower will not make an appearance. I've scoured through history textbooks and any morsel of information on it no matter how small and this is my conclusion:_

 _This flower only grows during times of war and strife. Blood, death, and negative energy is what feeds it. As soon as that is gone, it'll die. So, if you are living in times of peace, you will have a hard time looking for it and my advice is to look for a different lead. And Kyuubi-sama, when I say blood, death, and negative energy feeds it, I don't mean a few people's deaths. It must be thousands—maybe more. That's its condition and this flower may very well be a curse or it could be the cure you're looking for._

 _It's up to you whether you'll take the risk. I'm not guaranteeing that it'll work, it probably won't. But a plant that requires death to heal, don't you find that repulsive—suspicious, even? Though, I suppose it makes sense. It's a balance. Someone has to die for others to live._

 _Also, while I was writing this letter to you, I can't help but feel immense gratitude. I thank you for caring for your host. Please tell this person that holds your heart that I love them. Tell them that we are at peace with our decision and we wait for the day when we'll meet in the afterlife._

 _P.s I bet your host is my grand-something. Love him, 'cause I just know, believe it!_

 _Be safe, you both._

Kurama inhaled sharply. He could feel the tears pricking at the edge of his vision, begging to be let down. It was obvious that this man cared deeply for his family. He sympathized with the man and he wanted to rant at the world how unfair life was, especially with how unfair it was being towards his kit. The lovable, blonde boy lost his biological family and he never got to know deeply they truly loved him. Even his grandfather who couldn't even comprehend his existence loved the boy. What would Naruto say if Kurama told him that the last person his grandfather had worried about was the blonde boy who wouldn't be born years from then?

Swallowing the back his grief, Kurama read on.

 _I have sake hidden somewhere in the library, you fox because I just bet you're crying. Go console yourself. You'll save your host._

A fresh tear dripped on the parchment, and the fox read the last three words.

 _Love,_

 _Uzumaki Daichi._

Kurama crumbled to his knees. He wanted to ball up the letter and burn it till nothing remained of it. It hurt to be reminded of what a failure he was. There were so many things going wrong with Naruto and he just added to it. Honestly, he didn't deserve to call the kit _his_ kit. All he did was bring more misery to the boy's life. Perhaps it would've been better if he never got close to the child. Then he wouldn't be feeling like shit.

But...no matter how many times he tried to think it over—to make himself regret it...he never could. He was happy that he was a changed beast, he was happy that he got to meet Naruto, he was happy if only for a moment. But why did it have to be so _painful_?

Putting his head on his arms, Kurama let himself cry freely for the first time in centuries.

* * *

 **A/N Well...that was something. Didn't expect this, did cha'?**

 **Reviews. I like them, no lie. So, I'll be writing the next part so you guys do your part and encourage me! Leave reviews. Give me at least 20 ( cause I know you guys can) and I'll get things going for next week.**

 **Also, any complaints, I'll happily hear them. (I'm inviting danger, aren't I?)**

 **Sorry for the grammars. I like to write but I'm shit at it.**


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